


All Together Ooky

by SuperBlondie



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Biting, Cannibalism, Claiming, Claiming Bites, Fluff, Horror, Inspired by Addams Family, Inspired by Hannibal, Knotting, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Rituals, Minor Character Death, Rimming, Romance, Smut, Supernatural Elements, Vampire!Chanyeol, Werewolves, also is it cannibalism if the characters aren't fully human?, bunny hybrid!junmyeon, just a little bit, no tarantulas were harmed in the making of this fic, oh you know what happens when those two tags are together, shapeshifter!minseok, things i ask myself at 1 in the morning, werewolf!kyungsoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:42:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22488334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperBlondie/pseuds/SuperBlondie
Summary: Kyungsoo's a werewolf, Baekhyun's a human with no sense of self-preservation, can I make it anymore obvious?ORAs it turns out, everyone in town was right. The family in the house on the hillismade up of man-eating monsters. As it turns out, Baekhyun doesn't care, not when the most dangerous of all the man-eating monsters has an ass like that.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Do Kyungsoo | D.O, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay, Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 106
Kudos: 392
Collections: EXZOO : First Exchange





	All Together Ooky

**Author's Note:**

  * For [loco](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loco/gifts).

> READ THE TAGS!!! if you don't like what's in the tags, then please just move on! I don't want to upset anyone and I sure don't want anyone to upset me by getting mad in my comments or CC or DMs about something I've tagged. in that vein, if you see something i didn't tag already that you feel should be tagged PLEASE!!!! let me know!!!!! I want reading fanfiction to be a stress-free event, and that means making sure anything upsetting is tagged and warned accordingly!!
> 
> So, uh, big thanks to L, H, and A for helping me with this. L & H, you literally helped create this fic by letting me cry and whine about it in the DMs for like a good few days/weeks, and then looked it over as I went through and encouraged me/helped me make the smut a whole lot better than what it would have been. [Aarushi](https://twitter.com/Aarushi_c18), you're the best beta in the whole wide world and I wish we weren't both drowning in work & school so we could talk more ;-;
> 
> to my recipient, loco, I hope this is what you envisioned from your prompt...at least somewhat!!! I think I went a little off the rails with this but I did my best to hit a few of your likes and wants!!
> 
> i hope all the other readers of this fic enjoy it as well! I struggled with this fic a lot but overall and pretty happy with what I did.
> 
> If you're interested in the prompt I wrote this from, it'll be in the end notes!

Baekhyun isn’t quite sure how he ended up in this position. The mug of tea in his hands is slowly cooling, steam rising up and warming his face. It’s a welcome sensation after the night he’s had – or it would be, if it weren’t for the way he’s being stared at from across the counter. Right pupil slit like a cat’s, the left a starburst unlike anything Baekhyun’s ever seen, Jongdae watches him with a grin, the places where his teeth meet stained red.

“Still a little shaken up,” he asks, voice softening into a mock coo. “You poor thing.” Baekhyun shrugs, gaze dropping to the black countertop. It’s dotted with tiny pieces of glass or gemstone, something shiny that makes the whole thing glitter like the night sky. Jongdae’s too long nails drum against it in a _taptaptaptap_ loop and Baekhyun swallows at the blood still caked on his cuticles.

He looks up. Jongdae’s pupils have switched sides.

The oven timer dings. Jongdae spins around with a squeal and yanks it open with an ear-piercing _screeeeeech_, the smell of cooked meat wafting through the kitchen and making Baekhyun’s stomach turn. “Oh _yes_, just as I thought. He smells _delicious_!”

Baekhyun lets out a shaky, hysterical laugh, no more than air being forced out as his brain slowly processes. Jongdae looks over his shoulder with considering frown and Baekhyun can almost feel himself being picked apart. “Well, maybe not to _you_, but Kyungsoo’s going to be feasting for at least a few days. Maybe I should tell him you’re the reason he’ll be eating so well. Earn you some brownie points.”

The pan full of meat is dropped onto the counter unceremoniously. Baekhyun recoils and nearly falls off his barstool, empty stomach trying and failing to force something out. It’s unrecognizable, literally just cuts of roasted meat sitting on heavy metal tray, but Baekhyun swears he can see the man’s face reflected in the layer of blood and fat floating around the bottom.

He hadn’t even seen the man’s face that well. It had been too late to be out on a Monday night. Baekhyun’s shift at the supermarket ended at nine and he’d stopped by the 7-11 to grab dinner, so it’d been maybe nine-thirty when the man stepped out from an alley as Baekhyun walked past and demanded all his money. Baekhyun thinks he was demanding money, at least; he’d had his headphones in and couldn’t hear a word the man said, just saw the glint of his knife in the light of the streetlamp and took off running.

The man had chased him for some reason. He’s still really not sure why the man had chased him instead of disappearing back into his alley and waiting for the next unsuspecting passerby. Maybe he’d been desperate for money and thought Baekhyun was his last chance, maybe he was just unusually determined.

Either way, he’d chased Baekhyun for what must’ve been at least half a mile until Baekhyun accidently made a left into an alley and realized he’d been caught with no way out. The man had stalked down the alley, knife held out in front of him as he backed Baekhyun up to a brick wall. It was too dark to really get a good look at his face – he was too preoccupied with the knife to even bother looking at the man’s face in the first place. But Baekhyun ended up with his back to a wall, tip of a knife pressed under his chin, and a mugger who didn’t seem like he was willing to settle with just taking Baekhyun’s money anymore.

There’s so much of this night that Baekhyun’s already forgotten, so much that he knows he’s going to forget in the next few days as he processes and copes. But he knows he’ll remember the fear he felt, the way his heart had pounded and his pulse had roared in his ears. He knows he’ll remember Jongdae.

Jongdae’s appearance was like something out of a movie. One second it was just Baekhyun and the man, the next Jongdae was looking over the man’s shoulder with a frown, eyes flashing golden. He’d grabbed the man by the chin and twisted so hard and so fast that there’d just been a _crack _and then Baekhyun’s assailant was lying dead on the cold, dirty ground.

Baekhyun collapsed a second later, chest heaving with every gasp for air. And Jongdae, eyes still golden, had crouched down beside him and ruffled his hair, carded through the black strands with bone white nails. _“You’re the human I’ve heard so much about, aren’t you? Poor thing.”_

And then he ended up here, in the house on the hill at the far edge of the city that everyone says is filled with monsters with a mug full of mint tea as the man who attacked him roasts in the oven.

What’s left of the man who attacked him, anyway. Baekhyun had watched Jongdae butcher him with a terrible sort of efficiency, still so shocked and off-kilter from the attack that Jongdae chopping up a human liver not more than a few feet away hadn’t been able to faze him. It fazes him now that he’s a little more cognizant, but it doesn’t feel quite right, like he’s only upset because he thinks he should be rather than because it’s truly upsetting.

He takes a sip of his tea and wonders, not for the first time, exactly what the hell is wrong with him.

He rode in the passenger seat of Jongdae’s car, knowing there was a body in the trunk, and did nothing but ask if he could turn the radio down because he was getting a headache. He’s sitting in the Kim family manor, drinking tea, and watching Jongdae divide the cooked remains of another person into Tupperware containers. He knows, logically, that this is wrong, that he should call the police and give them definitive evidence that the Kim family who live in the house on the far edge of the city are homicidal, demonic cannibals.

Baekhyun just hopes that Jongdae was telling the truth about putting in a good word with Kyungsoo.

Jongdae pulls the other pans of meat out of the oven, two more big metal sheet trays piled with long pig. Baekhyun didn’t know one person could produce that much meat, especially when all the organs are still sitting in bags in the freezer. Ripping off some bites for himself, Jongdae makes appreciative noises as he portions out the meat into Tupperware containers.

The pans go into a clawfoot sink big enough to bathe a toddler in and Jongdae hops up onto the counter to sit in the newly vacated space. Baekhyun’s mug of tea is pulled from his grasp and brought to Jongdae’s lips. Two normal brown eyes screw up in disgust, Jongdae thrusting the mug at Baekhyun with a gag. “Ugh, you’ve got a sweet tooth just like him too.”

“Really? I didn’t know he liked sweet stuff.” Baekhyun’s mind whirrs with recipes for cookies and cakes, the shit he always wants to make but never does because he doesn’t want to be the only one eating it. But if he baked for _Kyungsoo_, a man who Baekhyun has once seen eat a pizza and a half all by himself; that would work out just fine.

“Your heart eyes are somehow more disgusting than the tea,” Jongdae sneers, two fangs growing where his perfectly human canines had been. “Just give it a second, weirdo, he can’t resist the smell of fresh meat for long.”

A minute or so later, the narrow, rickety staircase tucked into the corner of the kitchen shakes and rattles as a shadow appears at the top. “Jongdae, are you making food?”

Baekhyun’s heart skips a beat, leaps up into his throat as he tightens his grip on his mug. He straightens his posture on reflex as Kyungsoo takes the stairs two at a time and stops at the landing with wild, hungry eyes. It’s so different from the way he acts when he’s in town, so indifferent and uninterested – apathetic is what the girl who works at the diner calls him. The most Baekhyun’s ever gotten out of him before was a mildly amused snort when he knocked over a display of soda bottles at the grocery store because he was so busy trying to get Kyungsoo’s attention to look where he was going. He’s always just trying to get Kyungsoo’s attention.

He’s got Kyungsoo’s attention now, man’s gaze drifting from the pans of meat to Baekhyun’s face. “What are you doing here,” he asks, face schooled back into something disdainfully neutral. He turns to Jongdae, “What is he doing here?”

Jongdae grins. He grabs a piece of still steaming flesh and tosses it across the kitchen to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo catches it with his teeth, snaps it up like a wild animal. Baekhyun has to remember how to close his jaw. His stomach swoops when he’s pinned in place with a nasty glare. It softens when Jongdae says, “_He _is the reason you’re going to be in a good mood for the next week. I was wandering and found him cornered in an alley by a man with a knife. I was going to hang back and scavenge the remains, but then I recognized his scent from the grocery bags you bring home and decided I couldn’t leave your favorite grocery boy to his fate.”

Kyungsoo’s gaze shifts to Jongdae, face turning in just a way that makes his eyes catch the moonlight streaming in through the ornate windows on the other side of the kitchen. Baekhyun isn’t sure if it’s just the moonlight or if his eyes are truly flashing silver; he isn’t too concerned with it either, still processing the idea that _he _is Kyungsoo’s favorite grocery boy.

Jongdae rolls his eyes and leans back on his hands, nails black and curved like talons where they rest barely inches from Baekhyun’s arms. “It’ll take a lot more than that to scare me, mutt. I was there when you were first learning how to fight the shift on the full moon, curled up in Junmyeon’s lap and crying because it hurt to resist.”

Kyungsoo snarls then, and Baekhyun is much _much _easier to scare than Jongdae. Kyungsoo isn’t big in the physical sense. He’s Baekhyun’s height, maybe taller maybe smaller depending on the shoes they wear, and Baekhyun is actually broader around the shoulders.

But Kyungsoo is also built like a brick house, corded with thick muscle where Baekhyun is wiry and lean, and Baekhyun’s broader shoulders just mean it would be easier for Kyungsoo to grab him and snap him like a saltine.

“Jongdae!” Kyungsoo is at Baekhyun’s side, one hand fisted in Jongdae’s shirt, in an instant. “Do you have any sense of discretion at all? I’ve told you about how he acts when I’m in town. If he disappears, I’ll be one of the first people the police point a finger at.”

“He just watched you eat human flesh without blinking, I don’t think your status as a werewolf is going to send him running to the police.” Jongdae extricates himself from Kyungsoo’s hold and hops down from the counter. “And save the manhandling for Baekhyun. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it more than me.”

Baekhyun feels his face heat and turns back to his mug of tea, stomach flipping at the idea of Kyungsoo using his strength to put him where he wants him whether Baekhyun likes it or not. Kyungsoo is a heavy, unignorable presence at his side. He’s wanted Kyungsoo this close for _months_. He would trip over himself at work just trying to be the bag boy for Kyungsoo’s check-out line.

The in-store pharmacist, Yixing, said it was sweet. Taeyeon, his ex-girlfriend and favorite coworker, said it was a little pathetic. Kyungsoo never said anything at all.

Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything now either, just grabs the nearest Tupperware full of meat and disappears back up the stairs. There’s a pause as floorboards creak, “Thank you for the food.” A door slams shut so hard that a little bit of Baekhyun’s tea sloshes over the side of his mug. Silence settles over them as Jongdae busies himself with cleaning up the dishes. Baekhyun lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

His heart races in his chest. That was the most Kyungsoo’s ever said to him – _ever_. It makes him want to jump around, squeal, call Taeyeon and tell her that is _not _pathetic because Kyungsoo has officially noticed him. More than anything though, it makes his crush on the werewolf – Kyungsoo’s a werewolf, he has to be – grow three sizes, burrow down into the heart of him and take root.

“Was that Kyungsoo?”

Baekhyun startles with a yelp, head snapping up to see two more men entering the kitchen. The shorter of the two is Minseok, the eldest member of the Kim family who only ever comes into the city to buy cleaning products. He leads the taller man who Baekhyun doesn’t recognize to sit down on the stool beside Baekhyun, where he immediately folds over with a soft whine. Both Jongdae and Minseok coo at him and run their hands through his hair.

“Yeah,” Jongdae says as he runs normal human fingers up and down the tall man’s back. “I don’t think you fed him enough, he shouldn’t be so sore.”

Minseok yanks open the fridge door and pours himself a glass of orange juice before settling down on the remaining stool. “Why do you think I’m eating right now? I need to make sure I’m well fed before I can take care of him. Also, it smells like shit in here. What did you do to piss Soo off?”

Jongdae shoves a thumb in Baekhyun’s direction and Baekhyun freezes, stammering out useless sounds in protest. “That’s the human Kyungsoo’s been talking about. The one with the big, pathetic crush. I saved him from the man Soo is currently eating as a late-night snack and Soo didn’t like me insinuating that Baekhyun would be amenable to getting held down and fucked through the mattress.”

Baekhyun would be very much amenable to getting held down and fucked through the mattress if it was Kyungsoo doing the fucking.

Minseok hums thoughtfully, giving Baekhyun a once over that makes him feel uncomfortably exposed. “You’re Baekhyun? You watched Jongdae kill, butcher, cook, and then serve Kyungsoo another human being and yet you’re still attracted to Kyungsoo. You’re either absolutely insane or exactly what he needs.”

“I’m not quite sure the two are mutually exclusive,” Jongdae says, “You’d have to be a good deal insane to not be bothered by the idea of humans as food. But yes, I think he’s the perfect candidate.”

“Candidate?” Baekhyun looks between the two cousins with wide eyes.

“You want Kyungsoo, we want Kyungsoo to settle down. But he’s an asshole and needs someone who doesn’t have any issues with his…dietary needs. Speaking of which,” Minseok slams back the glass of orange juice and then shoves his wrist into the tall man’s face. The man latches on mouth first, slurping noisily. “There you go, Channie. Need to start feeding you beforehand so you’re not so worn out.”

Jongdae snaps his fingers to get Baekhyun’s attention and leans over the counter, elbows braced and face resting in his hands. “We thought we were going to have to saddle him with some creep in order to settle the cannibalism issue. But here you are, pretty and not inherently creepy.”

“And Soo thinks he smells good,” the tall man adds as he sits up and wipes the red off his mouth. “He always takes the grocery bags that smell the most like you up to his room.”

Jongdae and Minseok let out an _oooh_ of awe.

“Even better than expected,” says Minseok.

“Does quite a bit of the work for us,” Jongdae nods.

The kitchen falls into silence. Baekhyun fidgets with his mug. It’s all half-sentences and unspoken conversations, Jongdae and Minseok passing silent notes with lip twitches and eyebrow raises. Baekhyun knows what everyone says about the Kim family, about how they are all so undeniably _strange_. Like the old kinds of fairies that were always looking for a way to take advantage, to pull a trick and tip the scales of any deal in their favor. For all he knows, this could all be a ruse to lead him straight into the jaws of death. Kyungsoo eats people, so maybe he’s actually just the perfect candidate for tomorrow morning’s breakfast. Baekhyun just watched Channie slurp down Minseok’s blood like a capri-sun; he should be thinking critically about this.

Instead, Baekhyun stares at the sparkling, glittering countertop and asks, voice small and nervous, “Do you think I have a chance with him?” Because maybe death is worth the risk if it means Kyungsoo might smile at him.

Jongdae, Minseok, and Channie burst into laughter. “On your own? Not even a little. You won’t even be able to get him to look at you. He’d sooner eat you for breakfast.” He doesn’t know who said what, too distracted by the way his heart breaks into little pieces in his chest, embarrassed tears prickling behind his eyes.

Two sharp-nailed fingers fit under his chin and force him to look up, to meet Jongdae’s eyes, mesmerizing and green, pupils slit like a cat’s, and, for some reason, _kind_. “You don’t have a chance because you don’t know the rituals to woo him. But we do, and we’d be happy to share them with you. _But_ you have to be ready to face a fuckton of rejection. Kyungsoo is not going to reciprocate anything until he’s absolutely sure you’re the one he wants. And there is _no _going back. You won’t get to change your mind once he’s decided to keep you.”

“But you think that he will? Eventually decide to keep me?”

Jongdae grins with teeth like knives. Baekhyun’s heart skips a beat but he can’t find it in himself to be afraid. “Wouldn’t offer if I didn’t, Baekhyun.”

It feels he’s about to jump into deep, deep water, a pitch-black trench, with no hope of a lifeline except for the chance that Kyungsoo will someday want him back. But the idea that Kyungsoo will someday want him back is enough to have him diving headfirst.

“Wh-what do I need to do?”

☽*☾

Baekhyun’s stacking soda cans the next time he sees Kyungsoo. He’s got his ugly work vest over a t-shirt from college and a pair of sweatpants he dug out of the back of his closet because he hasn’t done laundry in two weeks. All he wants to do is finish the last half hour of his shift and go home to keep reading the big journal full of Minseok’s brother’s notes on werewolves and their mating rituals. Everything is so technical and long-winded that it’s taken nearly a week to understand the basics – some parts are written in Chinese solely to make him suffer.

All Baekhyun wants to do is keep planning for how he’s going to woo Kyungsoo, and instead he looks up from where he’s struggling to pull a pallet of soda cans down the aisle to see the man standing there, watching him.

He freezes, stares up at Kyungsoo with wide eyes, a deer caught in headlights. Kyungsoo’s frowning, arms crossed over his chest. He’s shaved his head since the last time Baekhyun saw him; it looks really, really, really hot. The t-shirt he’s wearing is really hot too, clinging to his muscles and making Baekhyun’s mouth go dry. When he shifts in place, Baekhyun watches as his muscles shift and bunch and tries not to explode.

“Hi,” Baekhyun chokes out after a moment, “Having a super great, Super-Mart day?”

Kyungsoo just stares, unimpressed. Baekhyun’s face feels hot and he scrambles for something else to say. “Um…just let me know if you need help finding anything, okay?” Still no response.

He turns back to his oversized, overloaded pallet of soda cans and starts pushing, hoping he hits one of the strange slick patches on the tile floor and the job goes a little faster. He doesn’t, because the universe is constantly working to make him suffer. Instead, he huffs and puffs and moves it maybe half an inch. His muscles screech at him in protest and he wishes he could screech at the idiot who loaded the stupid pallet to be so ungodly heavy in return.

He manages to get the thing halfway down the aisle before his body gives up and he flops on top of the soda cans, panting from exertion. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Kyungsoo is still watching him from the other end of the aisle.

He looks up at the packs of two-liters already settled on the shelf and wills one of them to come tumbling down and put him out of his misery, at least for a little while. When they stay stubbornly put, he buries his face in his arms and waits for Kyungsoo to get tired of watching him struggle. Apparently, though, Kyungsoo is very entertained, because when Baekhyun looks back, he sees that the werewolf has shifted positions to lean against the shelves. Very obviously not going anywhere anytime soon.

Baekhyun groans quietly. The _one _time Kyungsoo shows any sort of interest in him and it just has to be when he looks like a dorky, noodle-armed little weakling.

And then he has a flash of Junmyeon’s scratchy, scribbly writing as he describes how werewolf mating rituals differ between the different types of werewolves. He’d skimmed over everything about bitten werewolves, thetas, and omegas, can really only remember that they exist. Jongdae had told him to, had handed him the journal with the section about alphas flagged and said that Kyungsoo wouldn’t respond to anything else. Baekhyun still only understood the basics, but the basics are all he needs right now.

Probably better to start the courtship early. Or that’s what Baekhyun hopes, at least. He’s still not sure what sort of timeline a mating ritual is supposed to take.

“Hey, Kyungsoo,” he starts, “Could – could you help me?”

One of Kyungsoo’s eyebrows quirks up, but he doesn’t say anything.

Baekhyun’s cheeks burn but he soldiers on, tries to remember the exact phrasing of the journal when it talked about asking for help. “It’s just that, uh, this is really heavy and I know you’re really strong and… Please? Help me move this? Please?”

That was not the correct phrasing _at all_. But Kyungsoo steps away from the shelves anyway, eyes a little more focused but still unimpressed. Baekhyun watches as Kyungsoo walks over, blinking up at the werewolf and feeling his own pulse beat rabbit quick. “Where does it need to go,” Kyungsoo asks.

“Ju-just the end of the aisle.”

Kyungsoo nods and Baekhyun scrambles out of the way so he can push the pallet down the aisle. He just picks the whole thing up instead and Baekhyun nearly has a stroke. It’s at least two hundred pounds, probably more, but Kyungsoo carries the pallet down to end of the aisle with absolute ease. Baekhyun imagines how easily Kyungsoo would be able to carry _him _around – oh, the _manhandling_.

“You want it here?” Baekhyun jerks from where he’d been careening into horniness to see Kyungsoo standing at the end of the aisle with the pallet still in his arms.

Baekhyun nods because he doesn’t trust his voice to come out as anything but a whimper; he has to bite his tongue when Kyungsoo sets the pallet back down because his muscles _ripple _and it does horrible things to Baekhyun’s nervous system.

“Thanks,” he says after a moment.

Kyungsoo nods and then turns away, walking off towards the yogurt display. He pauses just before he disappears around the corner. His foot taps against the tiles, lips drawing thin. “Don’t try to move something so heavy again. You humans have fragile bones and Jongdae would be very displeased if you broke any of yours,” he bites out after a moment, voice carefully neutral.

Baekhyun stares after him for what feels like hours, smiling dopily at the space where Kyungsoo used to be. He’s probably got full-on heart eyes, swooning onto the pallet of soda cans like a tragic heroine. He’d rather be swooning into Kyungsoo’s arms, but beggars can’t be choosers.

The memory of Kyungsoo’s arms will be enough to sustain him for the coming months anyway. Because Baekhyun may be, in fact, just as pathetic as Tayeon says he is. That’s fine though, because Jongdae says that Kyungsoo can work with pathetic.

“What a man,” Baekhyun sighs.

☽*☾

As it turns out, Baekhyun did not actually start the werewolf courtship process. He groans down at the journal and the list of things necessary to start off the mating rituals. Having Kyungsoo lift heavy things for him is an_ excellent_ way of showing the werewolf that he’s needed and furthering a courtship, but only _after _the damn thing is started.

All Baekhyun had done the day before was ask Kyungsoo to do a favor for him, and all Kyungsoo had done was be not-awful by helping him out.

On the front page of the journal, before the section Jongdae had flagged as important and told Baekhyun to focus on, is a list of the basic steps of werewolf courtship. He’d flipped right past it when he’d first started reading, assuming everything he would need to know would be in the section all about alphas. But he was wrong and also very stupid. Everything written in the pages dedicated to alpha werewolves only matters once the courtship has been started and the alpha is considering a potential mate.

Baekhyun flops back onto the bed in defeat, dropping the journal onto the blankets beside him. He stares up at his ceiling fan and frowns, feels his lower lip push out into the pout Yixing calls his Make-People-Do-What-I-Want face.

He wonders if it would work on Kyungsoo, make him magically decide that Baekhyun is worth giving the time of day. Probably not. Jongdae and Minseok warned him last week that Kyungsoo has self-control in _spades_. And that Kyungsoo is only going to push him away once the courtship starts so he can test Baekhyun’s determination and get a better, unbiased view of who he might be making a lifelong commitment to.

Baekhyun’s not sure if Kyungsoo even _can _push him farther away. It’s not like they’re friends or anything. The longest conversation they’ve ever had was about whether Baekhyun knew if Super-Mart had restocked the flavor of ice cream he usually buys.

He’s got a weak little heart and he isn’t sure if it can withstand much outright rejection from the man he’s handed it over to. Minseok and Jongdae had warned him about it though, told him he’d be weathering a category five hurricane of rejection until Kyungsoo decided Baekhyun’s neck was a very good place to sink his teeth into – and then they said he’d get so fucking tired of Kyungsoo’s company that he’d beg for some space. Baekhyun wants that. He wants Kyungsoo to be all up in his space all day every day.

He still remembers when he first fell for Kyungsoo. He’d been the cashier in the express lane, mindlessly scanning items and ringing up totals, when he’d looked over to see a little girl in the back of the line sobbing her heart out over a candy bar. Her mom kept apologizing, saying that money was tight, that once her father got his first paycheck from his new job they would come back and buy whole bag of candy. But the kid couldn’t have been more than two and couldn’t comprehend logic or the concept of waiting. Baekhyun felt so bad that he considered grabbing a candy bar off the shelf and letting his manager take it out of his pay.

But he’d just finished ringing up Kyungsoo’s total and the next person in line was a white woman with an asymmetric bob and Baekhyun wasn’t about to risk making her mad.

He knew Kyungsoo, everyone did. The family who lived up on the hill were infamous. Baekhyun had never had any problems with them, tried to treat them just like everybody else when they did decide to come into town. Kyungsoo was hot as hell and Baekhyun liked to ogle whenever he got the chance, but that was the extent of their interactions.

Baekhyun had handed Kyungsoo his change and then watched as the man pulled out a candy bar from one of his bags and handed it over to the little girl with a soft smile, eyes bright in a way Baekhyun had never seen before. Just set the candy bar in her chubby little fist and then walked off without a word.

Even now, the memory is enough to make Baekhyun roll around on the bed and squeal like a teenage girl.

He’s seen how kind Kyungsoo can be with his own eyes and he just – Baekhyun wants to be with Kyungsoo. He _wants _him, literally anyone can see that by the way he makes an idiot out of himself whenever Kyungsoo comes around, but he wants more than that. He wants to listen to that stupidly hot voice talk about everything and nothing, wants to get to know him, wants to worm his way into his space. Baekhyun wants Kyungsoo to smile at him.

“I’m so gross,” Baekhyun whines. “When did I get so soft and mushy and gay?”

But then he sits up and picks the journal back up. He flips it open to the bookmark he’d left inside and gets to reading. He passes out eventually, book lying open on his stomach as he dreams of bones and blood and teeth marks in pale skin.

The moon rises in the sky, silver light spilling in through his window. A figure steps out in front of the moonlight, casts a shadow across the bed. White eyes glow on the other side of the glass for a moment before they flicker out like a candle in the wind.

☽*☾

Baekhyun pulls up to the patch of forest outside of the city and parks the car. Raindrops slide down his windshield, wipers going mad as they try to keep up with the downpour. It had started all of a sudden, the sky clear and blue one moment and shrouded in dark clouds the next. The weather report playing on the radio says it’s only supposed to get worse as the day goes on too, flash flood watches starting up in all the nearby counties.

No one should be out, but Baekhyun was already half-way to the forest when the rain started, and he decided it wasn’t worth the effort to turn around. Baekhyun stares out at the forest with a sigh and wonders why he’s so bad at making good decisions.

Junmyeon’s journal is in the passenger seat, as is a plastic bag and the umbrella Baekhyun keeps in his car for emergencies. He grabs the plastic bag and umbrella, leaves the journal in the car, out of the rain. He’s pretty sure Junmyeon would kill him if he got it wet. He doesn’t need it anyway, he knows exactly why he’s here and what he’s looking for. Doesn’t mean he won’t be out here searching for hours like an idiot though.

“Holy shit it’s cold,” Baekhyun hisses as he steps out of the car. He’d worn a jacket, but the storm brought chilly winds with it and he can already feel his teeth chattering.

The umbrella pops open and he balances it on his shoulder as he locks the car and shoves the plastic bag into the pocket of his jacket. The ground squishes beneath his feet, mud and rainwater seeping into his shoes, catching on the bottom of his jeans. He checks his phone, twelve past noon. The storm’s supposed to start raging at around two and it takes half an hour to drive back to town. “An hour. I’m out here for an hour and if I don’t find anything then I’ll just have to try again once the rain has stopped.”

Then he makes his way into the forest, cringing at the wet, sucking, squelching noises of his shoes in the mud. He sinks in a little bit with every step and it makes him want to gag. “So I can watch Jongdae carve up a human body but can’t handle a little mud,” he stomps into a puddle on accident and whines at the cruel, cruel universe.

Even with the mud soaking into his shoes and climbing up his shins, Baekhyun has to admit that the forest looks beautiful when it rains. Everything turns brighter, more vibrant, leaves on the trees so green they look like something out of a painting. Too pretty to be real. He wonders if he could take a few really nice pictures of the scenery and have that count as his first gift to declare intent; his camera’s in the car, a nice one his parents bought him for graduating college. It can take some damn nice photos.

But the journal said the first gift in a mating ritual is important, needs to be small and meaningful, but not _too _meaningful because it’s just the beginning. And it _must _be a physical, tangible object. When Jongdae found out about his interest in photography, he said that photos would make good gifts later on, after they’d settled down. But courtship is all physical – he’d need to actually bring Kyungsoo to see this for it to count. And it _still_ wouldn’t count as a gift for declaration.

It’s all very confusing.

And it somehow led to Baekhyun trudging around the forest in the middle of a storm, freezing down to his bones and getting mildly soaked even with his umbrella.

What he eventually finds is a patch of beautiful wildflowers. The rain water has turned them just as vibrant as the leaves, pink, purple, and yellow blinding against the darkness. And next to them is a skull – not human, but some other mammal.

Baekhyun doesn’t know anything about animal biology or the skeletal structures of the different woodland creatures, but he thinks it might be a rabbit. Or maybe a beaver or some creature from the deep dark dimension because those _fucking teeth_. It’s like something straight out of a horror movie and he honestly thinks Kyungsoo would love it. Minseok said that Kyungsoo was into bone collecting, has a box full of different skulls up in his room.

But Baekhyun likes the flowers. The skull is cool, he can admit that, but he can’t stop looking at the eye-catching colors. It’s what _he _would want as a gift.

The end of basic timeline for a courtship that Baekhyun managed to piece together from the journal says that he’s supposed to give gifts that are meant to show that he understands and accepts Kyungsoo as he is. He’s not sure if he’s supposed to keep that theme through the entire courtship, though, or if some of the gifts need to show a little bit of his personality too.

So he does what he has started doing whenever he meets a minor inconvenience related to werewolf mating rituals – he calls Jongdae.

“_Ricky Mortis’ funeral home. You stab ‘em, we slam ‘em. This is Jongdae speaking.”_

“I need help,” Baekhyun says, and pulls the phone away from his ear when he’s met with a high-pitched whine.

“_You _always _need help. Why don’t you ever call just to check in with me and see how I’m doing?”_

“I-I-I didn’t know we were at that stage in our friendship?”

A scoff. “_Of course we are. I saved you from a mugger, you kept me company as I butchered said mugger. We’re practically family. That reminds me, next time you come over, make sure you meet Junmyeon and Jongin. They’ve been dying to meet you.” _Jongdae cackles through the speaker and Baekhyun tries not to groan at the pun.

“I might be over later today if you help me,” Baekhyun picks up the rabbit skull and holds it up to his face, stares into its empty eye sockets. He then immediately drops the skull because he’s pretty sure he just saw the gateway to Hell. “So I’m trying to figure out what to give Kyungsoo for the first gift of the mating rituals, the one that, like, declares intention and is really, really important. And I’m stuck between two things.

“I found a patch of wildflowers and they’re really, really pretty. Like maybe it’s just the rain, but they look almost surreal. And I like them and think they would be a great first gift, but there’s also a rabbit skull that I don’t like as much but Kyungsoo would probably think is really cool. And I just don’t know what to do because these gifts are supposed to be from the heart but also be something the giftee is going to love. What if I pick the flowers and Kyungsoo hates them because they’re not his style? What if I pick the skull and Kyungsoo likes it but also hates it because he can tell that it’s not really from the heart? What if everything goes to shit before I even start! Help me out, Jongdae, I’m freaking out here!” Baekhyun gasps for air as he’s done, panting into the receiver as he realizes he’s over-thought himself into a frozen, panicked state.

It’s quiet for a moment, and then, “_Good Lord, Baekhyun. I don’t have the time nor the inclination to sort out all that insanity you just threw at me, but mating rituals are done to establish compatibility. Whether you and Soo can work together and _compromise_. Got it?”_

Baekhyun blinks out at the rain for a moment, brain slowly coming online as he processes and connects the dots. “Yeah,” he says after a moment, “Yeah, I think I do.”

“_Excellent_.” There’s a scream from the other line and then a loud crash. Jongdae swears, “_Nini’s fucking spider got out again, I have to go. Try to get here before the storm gets too bad, I’d hate for Junmyeon to have to reanimate your corpse, takes months for the brain to come back online. Chanyeol, for the last time, Petunia is not venomous, stop screaming!” _A _click_ and then all Baekhyun’s left with is the dial tone.

That’s fine though, because he shoves his phone back into his pocket and brings out the plastic bag. He uses the rain to help clean off some of the mud that had stuck itself to the skull before shoving into the bag. The flowers go next, and then he’s hurrying back through the mud and the rain to his car.

It’s a slow drive to the Kim manor. The roads are starting to flood a little as the rain comes down heavier and heavier and he has to be careful not to flood the engine or start hydroplaning.

He hits a puddle once and a wave of water comes splashing up onto the windshield. Baekhyun stops the car for a moment, just to get his bearings back and settle his heart rate. He looks in the rearview mirror as he waits for the road to come back into view; he thinks – he _swears _he sees someone standing in the ditch behind him, but when he turns around in his seat to get a better look, there’s no one there.

Baekhyun laughs nervously, heart thumping a little faster than he would like. He blames it on having to drive in the storm, worrying about hitting a patch of water and spinning out of control must have made him a little paranoid.

He still can’t shake the feeling of being watched, though, not even as he pulls up to the Kim manor and dashes up to the front door.

He knocks once and startles as the door is yanked open almost immediately by a man with long, furry ears standing up from his head. Like a rabbit. Baekhyun suddenly feels very guilty about what he has in his plastic bag.

The bunny-eared man waves him in with a wide, gracious smile, and as he turns to the side to let Baekhyun into the living room, Baekhyun sees the hint of a puffy white cottontail. “Hello! You must be Baekhyun! I’m Junmyeon, Minseok’s younger brother. The one who wrote that journal you’re using? It’s so lovely to finally meet you,” Junmyeon says, “I’ve heard lots about you, oh yes, mostly good things. Kyungsoo always says good-bad things, you know. Says that you’re very weak but also that it’s ridiculous to put you on manual labor when you are very obviously the most personable of all the cashiers.”

Baekhyun smiles at that, cheeks feeling hot despite the cold rain soaking into his clothes. “He said that about me? Really?”

Junmyeon nods, smile turning mischievous for just a moment. He leans in close, eyes turned toward the ceiling like he’s on the lookout for super-sensitive ears, “And that’s what he tells me. Who knows what he says to Nini?”

As if summoned, a little boy with dark brown hair and round glasses pokes his head up from around the corner. “Soo tells me lots of stuff,” he says, “But that’s only because I’m the only one in the family who can keep a secret. Hey, do you want to see my tarantula? Her name’s Petunia and she’s very friendly!” Baekhyun can only assume that this is Jongin, Jongdae’s baby brother and so far the only non-supernatural creature in the house. He’s a cute kid. At least he is until he comes running over with a tarantula the size of a dinner plate in his hands.

“Jongin, put Petunia back in her cage this instant! She’s going to end up squished if you keep letting her out and then what are we going to do? I cannot reanimate a spider!” Junmyeon puts an arm out to stop Jongin before he gets too close, mouth set in a stern line against Jongin’s formidable pout.

“Just let Baekhyun hold her, _please? _You want to hold her, right?” Baekhyun gives a little shake of his head and tries not to feel guilty at the way Jongin’s face falls.

It doesn’t work, he feels very, very guilty. And so he holds out one of his hands. “I can hold her for a minute or two. I guess.”

Jongin cheers and then there’s a tarantula sitting in his hand, staring up at him with its creepy eyes and walking _up his arm _with its eight, furry legs. Baekhyun has to bite his tongue so he doesn’t scream. Jongin looks so happy that someone is giving his tarantula a chance; Junmyeon looks a little impressed.

“Put Petunia away, Nini. The human is terrified and if he dies of heart failure we’ll be the ones blamed for it.”

Baekhyun jerks, startled, and nearly drops poor Petunia, only Jongin’s quick hands catching her from falling off Baekhyun’s forearms. Kyungsoo is standing at the bottom of the grand main staircase with a frown.

Baekhyun stands up a little straighter, smooths down his damp shirt. He just barely stops himself from going to fix his hair like a teenager waiting for his prom date. “H-hey, Kyungsoo. It’s good to see you,” he swallows audibly. “How have you been?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes dart between Baekhyun’s eyes and the bag in his hands before narrowing. “Fine. Why are you here?”

Junmyeon takes the moment to grab Jongin by the shoulders and march him past the grand staircase towards the entrance to what Jongdae referred to as _Junmyeon’s Den of Witchcraft and Carrots_. “Come on, I’ll let you feed Petunia the newest batch of color-changing potions, see if we can finally get a true rose hair tarantula.”

Once they’re gone, Baekhyun walks down the hallway towards Kyungsoo, footsteps loud in the silence. He stops a few feet away and then just stands there. His heart pounds in his chest, palms going sweaty and face going hot as the silence stretches on.

“You’ve probably noticed that I, um, I like you. I think that’s pretty obvious.” Kyungsoo nods, face impassive like a mountain. Baekhyun knows Kyungsoo’s not the most emotive of people, but he wishes he would give him _something_. Give him even the slightest hint of what’s going on behind those dark eyes. “I want – I want to be with you. I w-want to…I want to…”

Baekhyun takes a deep breath and thrusts his plastic bag towards Kyungsoo. “I’m declaring my intention to court you. I got you something too, to make it official. It’s a rabbit skull – I think? And some wildflowers. I hope you like it. Oh! And I hope you consider me as a potential mate.”

The silence comes back, heavier and more horrible than before. Kyungsoo’s eyes bore straight through him. Baekhyun feels a little naked, like everything is on display for Kyungsoo’s viewing pleasure. He didn’t think he would be against being naked and having everything on display for Kyungsoo’s viewing pleasure, but that was in the literal sense. Not the standing-on-the-precipice-of-rejection sense. All Baekhyun can do is wait for Kyungsoo to respond, and it _sucks._

And then Kyungsoo holds out a hand, palm up, fingers crooked. Baekhyun stumbles over himself to hand the bag over, heart in his throat as Kyungsoo peers inside. He pulls out the rabbit skull first, and then the wildflowers, a little crumpled from their trip in the bag. His mouth flattens into a thin line, eyebrows furrowing.

Kyungsoo’s face relaxes and so does Baekhyun’s entire body. The werewolf nods once and then heads back up the stairs, Baekhyun’s gift still clutched in his fingers. Baekhyun lets out the breath he’d been holding in a rush, doubles over with his hands on his knees.

Kyungsoo accepted his gift, and just like that, they’re courting.

☽*☾

Baekhyun doesn’t know how to feel about courting Kyungsoo. On one hand, the fact that Kyungsoo accepted his gift in the first place feels like a victory of epic proportions. Jongdae admitted last weekend that a few people had tried to court Kyungsoo before him and had been turned down with little more than a head shake and an apologetic frown; Baekhyun’s already farther than all of them, going where no man has ever dared to go before.

On the other hand, Kyungsoo is ignoring him. Straight up, middle school level cold shoulder ignoring. He’s come into Super-Mart more than a few times in the past few weeks and Baekhyun’s always made sure to run up to him and say hello, offer his assistance, maybe trail after him like a lost puppy for a few minutes hoping that he’ll be able to sneak in some conversation.

And every single time, Kyungsoo walked right past him without even looking in his direction. He even went and asked _Taeyeon _for help finding a new brand of toilet cleaner Minseok wanted to try out, even though Baekhyun had been right there, waving him over to the right aisle.

Now that one _stung_.

Baekhyun’s whined about it more than a few times to Jongdae, who then told Minseok and Junmyeon because secrets don’t stay secrets in that family for long. Jongdae told him that they warned him it would happen, Junmyeon said it’s all part of the adjustment period, and Minseok just shifted into a cat and let Baekhyun cry into his fur because Baekhyun is weak-hearted and just wants Kyungsoo to like him.

But all he can do is grit his teeth and bear through the constant rejection until Kyungsoo is settled enough to only reject him intermittently, and then he has to grit his teeth and bear through _that _until Kyungsoo decides he’ll make a good mate. As far as Baekhyun can tell, werewolf mating rituals are a lot of gritting teeth and suffering and not a lot of romance.

Junmyeon says that werewolf mating is actually supposed to be very sweet and romantic – Kyungsoo’s just a stubborn pain in the ass and likes to make everything difficult.

Either way, Baekhyun doesn’t expect much when he sees Kyungsoo wandering through the produce section as he’s clocking out for the day.

Kyungsoo has his back turned, strangely focused as he studies heads of broccoli. Baekhyun debates walking over and attempting to say hello, but it was a rough shift today. The holidays are approaching, and that means people have to spend time with family from out of town that they don’t like but have to put up with or else the drama will be _their_ fault. All that pent-up rage has to come out sometime though, and it’s almost always at retail workers. He’s been yelled at six times today already, he’s not sure if he can handle the cold shoulder from Kyungsoo too.

It’s not like Kyungsoo would notice if he didn’t say hello, anyway.

Baekhyun pulls off his work vest and hangs it up one of the jacket pegs with a sigh, shoulders slumping with exhaustion. His sweater gets tugged over his head, hands shoved into the pockets as he starts making his way towards the exit.

He sees movement out of the corner of his eye and turns his head to see that Kyungsoo has turned away from the produce and is facing towards him, eyes neutral as always. Their eyes meet for just a moment, and Baekhyun freezes. Kyungsoo stares at him, or maybe somewhere around him, and Baekhyun really isn’t sure what to do with the sudden lack of outright rejection. He gives Kyungsoo a small smile, pulls out hand out of his pocket to wave.

Kyungsoo nods in return and Baekhyun feels his smile grow. Part of him – _all _of him – wants to run over and say hello, take this moment of opportunity and use it to its full advantage. But he’s not sure if he should, if maybe he should just work in baby steps. Try out some of that self-control he’s been hearing so much about.

Baekhyun swallows down the urge to launch himself at Kyungsoo, try to wheedle a little bit more attention out of him because it feels _so nice_ to not be ignored. But he keeps quiet and forces himself to keep moving, scared to push his luck.

He hurries out of the grocery store after that, pulls his hood up over his head to block out some of the cold. His face feels hot, probably pink from a strange mix of embarrassment and excitement.

Kyungsoo didn’t ignore him today – it was the most interaction they’ve had in _weeks_. And Baekhyun thinks that deserves a celebration, so instead of heading to his apartment complex at the back of the Super-Mart parking lot, Baekhyun heads down the sidewalk. Not far from Super-Mart, next to the park with the old, rotting wooden swings, is a diner with its name lit up in red letters. Baekhyun heads there. He’s greeted as soon as he pushes open the door and the little bell it starts ringing.

Baekhyun slides into a booth tucked away in a corner and orders his usual. Two teenagers wearing varsity jackets from the local high school keep getting up from their table to shove more quarters inside the jukebox near the entrance. The soft music that plays through its speakers washes over him as he slowly works through his cheeseburger and fries. He hums to himself around a mouthful and stares off into the distance, vague daydream of Kyungsoo standing behind him at a kitchen counter, hands warm and gentle as he teaches him how to properly use a knife.

“You should speak to management about how the customers treat you.”

Baekhyun startles with a scream, heart nearly bursting out of his chest at the figure suddenly sitting across from him. Kyungsoo doesn’t react to the way he chokes on his fries, just stares with that same unreadable expression as Baekhyun gulps down some of his strawberry milkshake to try and clear the blockage in his throat.

“Wh-what? Where did you come from,” Baekhyun asks once he’s able to breathe properly again.

“The store. You left without speaking to me, so I followed your scent.” Kyungsoo frowns and hands him a napkin, “You have milkshake on your chin.”

Baekhyun wipes it off. “Th-thanks,” he tucks the napkin underneath his plate before he starts shredding it out of nervousness, “I didn’t…I didn’t really think you wanted me to speak to you right now. And I didn’t want to push too hard.”

Kyungsoo nods, hums. “That’s fair, though I thought I made it quite obvious that I wanted to speak to you.”

“I mean, not really? You’ve ignored me for the past few weeks and went to ask one of my coworkers for help when I was literally right there,” Baekhyun pauses. Kyungsoo’s eyes are dark and piercing, staring at him like the werewolf can see straight through him. It feels like he’s standing naked in front of a crowd, secrets bared for the world to see. “Not…not that I’m trying to, like, call you an asshole or anything. Just that you can be hard to read.”

“Do you expect me to be so easily won, Baekhyun? That I will just give myself to you? Take you as my mate without knowing your character? If so, then I am happy to tell you that you are horribly mistaken,” Kyungsoo’s voice is low but punishing, scolding Baekhyun with every syllable.

“That’s not what I expect, not at all. Honestly? I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to win you over.” Baekhyun’s stomach twists uncomfortably as Kyungsoo’s stare grows darker, wasps filling his stomach and making his tongue clumsy and stupid, sweat beading in his palms. “But I want to, I really, really want to. So I guess – I’m not sure what I’m trying to say anymore. You make me nervous.”

Kyungsoo gives him the hint of a smile then, something smug and a little mean. “Good.”

Baekhyun doesn’t know what to say to that, all his words lost somewhere in the curve of Kyungsoo’s lips. He feels like he’s in paradise, like any and all karma he’s accumulated has worked together to turn all of Kyungsoo’s attention onto him.

He wants to bask it in like a lizard in the sun, wants to burn this moment into his memory and use it to power through the next wave of painful rejection. “So, what did you want to speak to me about?”

“I didn’t appreciate how the customers treated you today. I witnessed no less than two humans scream at you over something that clearly wasn’t your fault,” Kyungsoo’s face relaxes into perfect neutrality again. And then it shifts, emotion flickering across his expression so fast Baekhyun can barely comprehend it.

Baekhyun shrugs even as something warm and gooey settles in his stomach, lovesick over the thought of Kyungsoo caring about him. “It’s the holidays, you know? Makes people forget I’m also a person even more than they usually do. And management can’t really do anything about it, either. Customer’s always right and shit. But, um, thank you for noticing, it means a lot.”

Jongdae had mentioned Kyungsoo’s need to protect his people. He’d said that Baekhyun would be facing the brunt of that after they mated, probably wouldn’t be allowed to leave the werewolf’s sight for a little while until the hormones finally calmed down.

This isn’t the same thing, but it feels like maybe it’s the beginning of it. Or maybe it’s just Kyungsoo being the good person Baekhyun knows he is, caring about little kids and underpaid service workers. Either way, Kyungsoo cares and that’s enough make Baekhyun want to squirm around in his seat like an overexcited puppy.

Baekhyun wonders if this is when Kyungsoo leaves. Baekhyun doesn’t want him to, but he’s not about to whine and risk undoing all the progress he’s made today if Kyungsoo decides he’s ready to go.

Kyungsoo steals a fry instead. It’s so fast that Baekhyun almost thinks he’s imagining it, but Kyungsoo reaches out with supernatural speed and snatches one of the fries off his plate. “Junmyeon works for the post office,” Kyungsoo says as he steals another fry, “He said you have quite a few packages in today.”

Baekhyun nods. “I did my Christmas shopping online, easier than driving to the mall two hours away.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything to that, just stares at him, face flat and impassive. He wonders why Kyungsoo cares that he has packages. He’s not complaining, any interest he shows in him is a win, but it’s still a little strange.

It takes his brain a few seconds to connect the dots, to see the opening and lunge for it. “Hey, actually, it is a _lot _of packages and some of them are probably going to be pretty heavy and my apartment is like half a mile away from the post office. Would you mind helping me carry my packages? Please? I’ll give you the rest of my fries,” he tries for endearing and hopes he doesn’t teeter too far into cringey.

“I don’t want the rest of your fries. You need to eat more, winter is coming and you’re very small.”

Baekhyun feels indignation turn his face red but doesn’t say anything, just pouts. He’s not _that _small. He and Kyungsoo are the same height! One corner of Kyungsoo’s mouth turns up and for a second Baekhyun wonders if werewolves are telepathic.

“I will help you carry the packages, though. You could hardly move those cases of soda down an aisle; you’ll likely hurt yourself trying to carry all those packages by yourself. We can take my car after you’re finished eating.” Neither Baekhyun nor Kyungsoo mention the very obvious fact that Baekhyun has his own car and could very easily drive himself over to the post office instead of walking.

After Baekhyun inhales the rest of his food, he slides into the passenger seat of Kyungsoo’s car and tries not to touch anything for the entire drive to the post office and back.

The entire trip is done in absolute silence, but Baekhyun finds that he really doesn’t mind the quiet when it feels so comfortable. Kyungsoo fiddles with the radio until it turns onto a pop station that Baekhyun would’ve never thought he listened to and Baekhyun bops along to the music. He thinks he sees Kyungsoo watching him out of the corner of his eye once, but the werewolf had his eyes on the road when he turned his head to check.

Kyungsoo helps him carry all the packages up the stairs to his apartment. Baekhyun calls it helping, but in reality Kyungsoo carries all the packages for him. He stacks them up one on top of the other and hefts the tower up like it was nothing, scoffing when Baekhyun offers to take some.

It makes him feel a little pampered, a little precious.

“Thank you,” Baekhyun smiles as he takes the packages from Kyungsoo and sets them next to his front door. “I really appreciate the help.”

Kyungsoo nods. His face is blank, but his voice is warm, a little playful. “Can’t have you injuring yourself. Jongdae, Minseok, and Junmyeon would all blame me. Besides, you can’t court me if you’re in the hospital, can you?”

“I mean, I would sure try,” Baekhyun fights the urge to mess with his hair, tuck it behind his ears like the leading lady in some bad romcom. He waits for a few moments for Kyungsoo to say something before deciding to quit while he’s ahead. “Thanks again for helping me. I’ll see you around?”

“You will. Most of your coworkers are incompetent and I prefer having someone who knows what they’re doing assist me.” Kyungsoo looks like he’s about to offer up a wave or, God willing, half a friendly smile.

But then his gaze drops to Baekhyun’s welcome mat, nose sniffing audibly, and his expression sours, a deep, dark frown settling on his lips. He looks back up at Baekhyun, something like anger in his eyes. “Lock your doors and windows as soon as you get home. Lock the front door and bedroom door at night. And call Jongdae if you ever notice anything strange.” Baekhyun nods dumbly.

With that, Kyungsoo turns around and disappears down the stairs of Baekhyun’s apartment building, a dark cloud of anger following him as he goes.

Baekhyun steps inside his apartment, unsure of where things went wrong and hoping it doesn’t undo all the progress they’d made today. He’s so concerned about Kyungsoo that he doesn’t notice the strange scuff marks by his welcome mat.

☽*☾

“Is it finished,” Jongdae asks. His teeth are sharp like a shark’s today; when he speaks, Baekhyun can see about three rows of them going back into his mouth. He’s got Minseok in his arms, petting him like a movie villain as he lounges in one of the big, comfortable armchairs in the living room.

Jongin is in the other, passed out from a long day of moody, pre-shapeshifter presentation hormones. Baekhyun had arrived to see the tail end of a tirade, watched as Jongin went through twelve different emotions in ten seconds and then one of his eyes turned bright blue. It’s the first sign of shapeshifting Jongin has ever shown, and Junmyeon says he’s likely still got at least a year before he presents as either a shapeshifter like Minseok or whatever the hell Jongdae is.

Kyungsoo’s out getting a treat because it’s such a special occasion. He’s so excited, so happy, that he even asked Baekhyun directly if he was staying for dinner so he knew how big of a cake to buy.

“Yeah, I’m all finished. I think so, at least.” Baekhyun picks up his backpack. His latest gift for Kyungsoo goes _clack-clackclack_ as he moves the backpack, rattling around inside. “It doesn’t look exactly how I wanted it to, I broke some bones at first while I was figuring out how to use the drills and stuff, but I figured that it was good for a beginner. Do you want to see it?”

Jongdae laughs, “Of course we do! I didn’t painstakingly pull all the finger and toe bones out of Kyungsoo’s latest kill for you to not see the fruit of my labor!”

Minseok leaps from his lap with four feet and hits the ground with two, human form straightening up from a crouch. “Excuse me? You amputated the fingers and toes, but _I _was the one to clean them. You were going to make Baekhyun do it all by himself.”

“I wanted to make sure he could handle it,” Jongdae explains, arms crossing over his chest defensively. “What if he can’t stomach butchering things himself?”

“It doesn’t matter if he can do it himself, just that he can watch someone else do it. Kyungsoo would never ask him to butcher a kill, he’d just want him to sit nearby and keep him company while he does it.” Minseok gestures for Baekhyun to toss him the shirt and sweatpants laid over the back of the couch while he continues to bicker with his cousin. “Honestly, Kyungsoo’s not going to give a fuck if Baekhyun doesn’t want to be personally involved in his guilty pleasure food as long as he’s happy to keep his knot warm.”

Baekhyun watches them bicker as his face grows hot. He tries to pretend it’s from embarrassment and not from the idea of getting fucked – he doesn’t really know what a knot is, but he is ready and willing to keep it warm if it belongs to Kyungsoo.

“Whatever,” Jongdae finally concedes, “I’m tired of arguing with you.”

It sounds like he’s the one in the right but just can’t be bothered to waste any more time proving. Baekhyun has quickly learned that what he really means is _you’re right but if I admit it I’ll have to kill everyone within earshot and then myself._

Minseok knows it too, has a smug little smirk as he gestures for Baekhyun to bring out his next gift for Kyungsoo. “I’m excited, Baekkie, it was actually one of the most creative ideas for a courting gift that I’ve ever heard.”

“Really?” Minseok and Jongdae both nod, eyes trained on the backpack. Baekhyun wonders if his blush is going to end up being permanent, a walking testament to how easily embarrassed he is. It probably will with his luck.

He gently pulls the wind chime out, careful to untangle all fishing line he used to string it together as he goes. The bones knock against each other and make a much less pleasing sound than normal metal pipes. Baekhyun winces when he hears the noise without the fabric of the backpack to muffle it, hopes that Kyungsoo doesn’t find it unbearable with his supernatural hearing.

He hadn’t even thought of that when he was making it! Kyungsoo can hear his heartbeat from across the room and he didn’t even think about how that might affect how Kyungsoo feels about loud, noisy wind chimes.

The wind chime comes out easy once it’s completely untangled. Finger and toe bones all strung together in the prettiest doable pattern Baekhyun could find on Pinterest. It’s a little on the small side because one person can only have so many phalanges, but Baekhyun had been really proud of it when he first finished it. Not so sure how he feels about it now though, now that he’s had some time away and can see all the little flaws in the way the bones are tied together and the messy holes he drilled in the bone.

“Ta-da,” he holds it up with a grimace. His hands shake from the nerves and make the bones smack against each other with that awful _clack_. “It sucks, doesn’t it? God, why did I make him a wind chime? It’s so _loud_. He’s going to hate it!”

Jongdae gasps, pushes himself out of the armchair to run his fingers down one string of bones. “Shut the fuck up, Baekhyun, this is beautiful. Kyungsoo is going to fucking _love _it. And if he doesn’t, then give it to me and I’ll start courting you instead. I don’t even know how you did this!”

“Fishing line and Minseok’s drill. And Pinterest.”

“We might have to start using Pinterest if this is the kind of stuff you can find on there, Dae,” Minseok says, “Myeonnie has an account he uses to look up recipes that we can use.”

“Mm…go see if Chanyeol can puppy-dog pout the password out of him while I help Baekhyun hang up his wind chime.” Jongdae takes Baekhyun by the arm and hauls him to his feet, leaving Minseok to disappear down one of the numerous hallways connected to the living room in search of his overgrown vampire boyfriend.

Hanging up the wind chime is more difficult than Baekhyun had planned. He had to balance on a stepstool that was balanced on a chair that was balanced on the railing of the wraparound back porch to hang it on the stupidly high hook Jongdae said it _had _to go on for maximum effect. There had been other, much easier to reach spots, but Jongdae had insisted and Baekhyun didn’t have the will to tell him no. There was also the fact that many of those easier to reach spots were on the front porch and very, very visible to any random police officers that could happen to stop by, but still.

Jongdae had helped hold Baekhyun up, at least, had held onto the stepstool and did his best to make sure Baekhyun didn’t go falling to his premature death.

When it was all said and done, Baekhyun had to admit that the wind chime did look beautiful hanging high up above the porch. It wouldn’t catch the wind too badly because it was protected on each side by the sloped roof. And the cream of the bones stands out beautifully against the dark red brick and black paint of the manor.

As soon as Baekhyun manages to climb down from his precarious perch, the rumbling of a car engine comes down the dirt road towards the manor, headlights peeking out through the trees.

“Not a moment too soon!” Jongdae claps his hands, mouth stretching into a wickedly delighted grin. Baekhyun yelps as he’s frog-marched down the porch steps to the backyard. Jongdae spins him around to face the back of the house, wind chime staring back at him. “You stay here. I’m going to go get Soo and send him out to come see your gift.”

Baekhyun can’t even manage to get a word out before Jongdae is running back inside and calling for Kyungsoo. He shuffles in place, looking around wildly in search for something to do so he doesn’t feel like such an idiot. It’s like being in middle school again and asking his friends to ask girls if they like him while he waits in the background.

He scrubs at his face with his hands, presses the heels of his palms against his eyes and stares at the starbursts of color that go off behind his eyelids.

The backdoor swings open with a _creek_, heavy footsteps thudding across the wooden porch. Baekhyun lets his hands drop back to his sides and blinks his eyes open in time to see Kyungsoo walking towards him through the grass. He stops at Baekhyun’s side, turns on his heel to face the house.

Baekhyun looks everywhere but the wind chime.

The sun is setting behind him, orange and pink sky barely visible over the tops of the trees. A few stars are twinkling into existence, white light like little balls of ice up in the sky. The trees are rustling in the wind; fallen leaves float in from the forest. Baekhyun feels the wind acutely. He scans the porch for a splash of bright red and realizes that Jongdae took his jacket with him when he went inside.

Kyungsoo’s coat is dark, somewhere between black and navy. He doesn’t need one – werewolves have higher body temperatures and supernatural endurance when it comes to exposure. He wears one, though, because the people in town would think it was strange if he didn’t, more evidence that the family in the house on the hill are not normal.

“I am surprised you were able to make this,” Kyungsoo says, voice startling Baekhyun out of his thoughts. He has his gaze focused on the wind chime no sign of happiness on his face.

Baekhyun feels himself warm from the inside out anyway. Because Kyungsoo is here, standing with him as the sun sets, staring up at the wind chime Baekhyun made for him. It’s more than anyone else has ever gotten, and it’s more than anyone else will _ever _get.

Baekhyun sighs, “Me too.” Kyungsoo lets out a little puff of air that might be a laugh and Baekhyun just wants to hold his hand. “Let me know if it breaks or it’s too loud, okay? I’ll make something different. Maybe I’ll knit you a scarf or something.”

“No need, I have no use for scarves. This is perfectly fine.” Baekhyun swears Kyungsoo turns to look at him, just a little bit, just for a moment.

Baekhyun shoves his hands in his pockets. He rocks on the balls of his feet to contain the squirmy, excited feelings in his belly. He can’t stop the grin that spreads across his face, though. “Let me know if you ever change your mind. I’m a really good knitter.”

Kyungsoo nods, and they stand in silence, staring up at the wind chime made out of human bones, fishing line, and Baekhyun’s unyielding determination to make a space for himself in Kyungsoo’s heart.

Kyungsoo’s already taking up most of the space in Baekhyun’s own, so it’s only fair.

The wind blows a strong breeze at them, ruffling Baekhyun’s hair and making the wind chime sing its strange song.

Baekhyun’s not even cold when Kyungsoo’s coat is settled over his shoulders. When Kyungsoo doesn’t acknowledge it, he decides not to say anything either, just revels in the warm, heavy fabric that smells like a particularly pleasant laundry detergent and the warm, comfortable feeling in his chest that comes from being next to Kyungsoo.

☽*☾

“You really have to keep Petunia in her cage,” Baekhyun holds said cage door open with shaking hands for Jongin to deposit Petunia into. The tarantula goes easy, skittering down the glass walls to settle underneath one of the various little bushes Jongin had planted inside for her. “You’re lucky I’m the only one here. I know Junmyeon said he would take Petunia away for two weeks if he found her outside her enclosure.”

Jongin sighs and pushes his glasses up his nose. “Yeah, yeah, I know. But it’s not fair that she has to stay in there and we get the entire world to roam.” He pauses then, turning to Baekhyun with a pout that melts Baekhyun’s heart, and pleads, “You’re not going to tell anyone about this, right? I really only had her out for a few minutes – she didn’t even leave my room!”

Baekhyun hesitates. He doesn’t _want _to rat Jongin out to his older cousin. He’s a good kid, just a little strong-willed when it comes to his tarantula. On the other hand, if Junmyeon somehow happens to find out that Jongin let Petunia out, Baekhyun will be the one in trouble.

He eventually concedes, heart soft and mushy and very weak to begging. “Fine, I won’t tell anyone.”

Jongin cheers. He turns to Petunia’s enclosure, “You hear that? You’re staying with me! Don’t have to hang out in Junmyeon’s room and watch him and Yixing kiss!”

“Yixing?”

Baekhyun blinks at the name, sees the local pharmacist’s face in his mind and wonders what the fuck he’s doing with Junmyeon. Junmyeon, who has very obvious bunny ears and tail and never goes into town because he doesn’t want to be exposed as a supernatural creature. Junmyeon, who asked Baekhyun to watch Jongin so that he could go on a date tonight. Junmyeon, who has sworn off dating humans entirely because the few he’s dated that accepted his bunny features had tried to turn him into a fetish.

Jongin doesn’t notice the smoke coming out of Baekhyun’s ears as he tries to put two and two together and keeps ending up with three. He just throws his arms around Baekhyun and presses his face against his stomach in a strangely tight hug. “You’re the best, Baekhyun! Not even Dae would keep this a secret for me.”

Baekhyun hugs Jongin back and ruffles his hair with a laugh, “I’m pretty sure that’s a dead giveaway that I should tell Junmyeon – but I won’t! I won’t! I gave my word, Nini, I won’t tell a single soul.”

Jongin pulls out of the hug with a satisfied grin, hands on his hips, haughty in the sweet way only kids can pull off. “Good. And to say thanks _I _will tell Kyungsoo that I like you. It’s a pretty big deal, you know. I’m his _favorite _and he’d _never _mate someone I didn’t like. I’ve been told I have an excellent judge of character.”

Baekhyun’s heart skips a beat at that, at getting Jongin’s stamp of approval. He really is one of the most important people to Kyungsoo. But he tries to shrug it off, reaching out to mess up Jongin’s hair even more. “Do you even know what that means?”

Jongin shakes his head. “No, but I know it’s a good thing. Now come on, I want to watch some of those animes you said you have on your computer,” he says as he climbs up onto his little twin-sized bed, shoving all his stuffed animals to make room for Baekhyun. “No bloody stuff though, Junmyeon says I can’t watch anything adult until I’m older.”

Something about that isn’t quite right, and that something may be the Tupperware in the refrigerator downstairs marked _Kyungsoo’s Treat, Do Not Touch, _but Baekhyun’s not about to go poking holes in anyone’s logic, not when he’s the one trying to woo a literal man-eating werewolf.

He climbs onto the bed beside Jongin, back against the headboard. He pulls his laptop out of his backpack and settles it across his lap. Jongin cuddles up against his side as he logs into his crunchyroll account, anime titles flashing across the screen. He clicks over to the family-friendly shows he’d bookmarked specifically for Jongin to watch. “Pick whichever one you want, Nini.”

“Okay, thanks.” Jongin hands Baekhyun his glasses with a quiet request to put them on the nightstand. The little boy yawns, shifts around to get more comfortable and finally settles with head on Baekhyun’s chest. “Hey, Baekkie,” he says as the opening to the anime he chose starts to play.

“Yeah?”

“I was going to tell Kyungsoo that I liked you even if you told on me to Junmyeon. No human has ever been as nice to us you are. And I think you make Soo happy. I know you guys don’t talk a whole lot, but he’s been smiling more since you started to court him. I want him to be happy all the time.”

Baekhyun smiles, chest filling up with warm, fuzzy feelings. “Me too.” He wraps an arm around Jongin and squeezes him closer. “I’ll do my best to make him happy, I promise.”

Halfway through the first episode of the anime, Baekhyun squirms until he’s lying down with the laptop still propped up on his lap. He’s pretty sure Jongin’s already asleep if the slow, even snores are anything to go by. He knows he should get up and make his way over to the guest bedroom a few doors down to pass out for the night. And he will, but he figures it would be best to wait for the episode to end to make sure Jongin is sleeping deeply enough to stay sleeping when Baekhyun slips out from under him.

Baekhyun promises himself that he’ll get up as soon as the episode is over.

He wakes up to Kyungsoo’s face three inches away from his own. He lets out a sleepy, grumbling groan of surprise and tries to jerk back, but he’s tucked in Kyungsoo’s arms, head resting on his shoulder. He feels weightless, floating, only grounded because Kyungsoo is holding him.

Kyungsoo is _carrying_ him, holding him like something precious.

Kyungsoo blinks at him with owl eyes, face soft. “Go back to sleep,” he murmurs, “It’s late.”

Kyungsoo’s arms are so warm, comforting bands around his back and under his knees. The soft swaying motion of being carried starts to lull him back to sleep. He yawns, eyelids growing too heavy to stay up. “You smell nice.”

The shoulder underneath his cheek jerks, chest he’s propped up against rumbling with a laugh. “You should smell yourself.”

Baekhyun smiles, rubs his cheek against Kyungsoo’s shoulder like a big cat, giggling sleepily. Chanyeol said that Kyungsoo thinks he smells nice, but hearing it from Kyungsoo’s mouth makes his stomach do happy little flips. Baekhyun voice slurs, only half-conscious, “What do I smell like?”

Kyungsoo’s voice is soft when he replies, setting Baekhyun down onto soft sheets, “You. I can’t describe it, but I would recognize it anywhere.”

“Why are you bein’ so nice to me,” Baekhyun asks.

There’s no response, just the sensation of a thick, heavy blanket being tucked in around him. Baekhyun tries to open his eyes, tries to ask again. He fights against sleep. Kyungsoo is being so nice, treating him so well, showering him with sweet attention; he wants to make this moment last for as long as possible.

But then a hand, warm, heavy, comforting, pushes his hair back from his face, and he’s falling.

☽*☾

Baekhyun shifts the umbrella hanging over his shoulder to better block out the downpour. It’s raining heavily enough that he can’t see more than a few feet in front of his face, eyes trained where he can just barely make out the outline of a man. The man doesn’t know he’s there. Or if he does he doesn’t consider Baekhyun enough of a threat to care.

Baekhyun’s bangs are plastered to his forehead from the rain and he uses the hand gripping Jongdae’s knife to push them off to the side.

His heart pounds in his chest, breath coming out shaky and stuttered as he starts to close the distance between him and the target. Just picking up his pace a little, not running. He is _never _supposed to runmuntil they do, keep his footsteps as quiet as possible. Baekhyun repeats everything Jongdae had told him on the drive from the manor to the city.

Don’t run after them unless he has to. Keep his weapon ready to go at any moment. Never be afraid to flee if things go poorly.

Jongdae is waiting up on the roof a block away, red and yellow eyes scanning the sidewalk for Baekhyun. He’s got claws and fangs now, ready to lunge if Baekhyun looks like he’s losing.

_Soo will beat my ass if anything happens to you under my watch, so turn and run if he gets the upper hand._

Minseok said that Kyungsoo would’ve probably tagged along if they had told him what Baekhyun was planning, hidden in the alleys to make sure he could get to Baekhyun in time. The idea makes Baekhyun feel giddy – Kyungsoo worrying about him enough to wait in the shadows on the chance something goes wrong. As is, Kyungsoo has no idea what Baekhyun’s doing, has no idea he’s stalking another person down the sidewalk in the middle of a rainstorm, freezing down to his bones armed with a knife he doesn’t know how to use.

Baekhyun looks up as they pass under Jongdae’s building. He can’t see him, but he knows he’s there.

The man stops suddenly, turning on his heel. “Are you following me?”

Baekhyun’s heart nearly stops, body freezing. The man steps closer, chest puffing out to make himself look bigger. He and Baekhyun are roughly the same size, but it feels like he’s being stared down by Chanyeol, panic making the man look so much bigger to him. Their eyes meet and Baekhyun remembers why this is the person he’s chosen to target.

“I know you,” the man says, “You’re Taeyeon’s friend, Baekhyun, right?”

He’s been waiting for Taeyeon outside of work every single day for months, following her home, harassing over whatever messaging service he can find her on. Taeyeon’s gone to the police but they didn’t do anything, saying there was nothing could do until he threatened her or tried to physically touch her.

But Baekhyun’s seen how it’s been wearing on her, how she doesn’t want to leave the house without a friend to walk with her, sleeping with a chair wedged under the handle to her bedroom door. And that’s only on the nights she can even fall asleep, and those are becoming less and less common the longer this goes on.

Baekhyun knows she’s not sleeping because he’s not either, constantly waking up from nightmares of bright white eyes and hot, smelly breath inches from his face. They stay up at night, talking on the phone until the sun rises and they feel less like someone is about to burst through their bedroom doors.

He, at least, gets some sort of sanctuary in the form of the Kim’s couch, napping during the day for a good four hours of uninterrupted rest. He always wakes up with a blanket draped over him and Kyungsoo somewhere nearby.

It’s hard to be scared when he knows the apex predator is right there to keep him safe.

Taeyeon doesn’t have that luxury, though, and they both know that the man’s going to escalate soon; he’s got a pattern for this shit that Baekhyun found within five minutes of googling his name. Something the police didn’t bother to do, or they did but didn’t care.

Junmyeon said that he would be a perfect first kill, someone who Baekhyun has irrefutable evidence that they’re an awful person.

Part of Baekhyun still thinks that it’s not right to be judge, jury, and executioner, but it’s overshadowed by the fear of what the man will do to Taeyeon and the knowledge that bringing in big game is one of the most important steps of werewolf mating.

So he doesn’t step back when the man steps forward, plants his feet and swallows down his fear as best he can.

The umbrella is dropped to the ground, rain pouring down from the sky and soaking Baekhyun to the bone. He tightens his grip on the knife behind his back, heart racing, adrenaline surging through his veins as the man steps closer and closer, until they’re nearly nose-to-nose.

The man opens his mouth to taunt, breath foul from cigarettes wafting across his face. He thinks of white eyes, of a weight on his chest holding him down no matter how hard he struggles to break free. He panics. Swings the knife.

The man’s dropping to the ground with a _thud _and a _squelch_ before Baekhyun can register that he hit flesh, hot, sticky fluid spraying over his face.

His eyes close on instinct but his mouth is open; he tastes copper and iron and starts to gag, doubling over. Jongdae lands beside him seconds later, one arm winding around Baekhyun’s shoulders as the other thrusts a plastic bag from Super-Mart under his face. “You did so good, Baekkie,” he cheers, “Here, throw up in the bag, we don’t want any DNA at the scene.”

“God, I feel awful. I never want to do this again.”

Jongdae hums in sympathy, kissing Baekhyun’s temple, fangs sharp against Baekhyun’s skin even through Jongdae’s lips. “Yeah, I didn’t think you were going to feel too great after you killed him. But it’s over and I _promise _you that you’ll never have to do it again. Soo’s probably going to be pissed at me for letting you do this in the first place, actually. He didn’t want you anywhere near this part of the process.”

Baekhyun groans and drops to the ground, dry heaving at the sound of Jongdae picking up the dead body and throwing it over his shoulder. He wants nothing more than to go throw up everything in his body and then lie down for twelve hours.

“Come on, let’s get back home so I can watch Kyungsoo try to keep himself from babying you.”

Baekhyun shakes his head, content to curl up here on the sidewalk. A shoe pokes him in the side and he whines, pushing it away.

Jongdae sighs in annoyance. He crouches down beside Baekhyun, so close that some of the still dripping blood from the corpse falls onto his pants. He gags helplessly, willing himself to believe it’s just rain. “If you catch a cold, it’s my ass on the line, so get up on your own or I’m throwing you over my other shoulder and you can stare at your friend here until we get back to the car.” Jongdae’s face is deadly serious when Baekhyun opens his eyes to check, eyes pitch black and teeth growing into needles. He frowns and reaches for Baekhyun’s arm.

Baekhyun scrambles to his feet with the Super-Mart bag still clutched in his hands. “I’m up! I’m up!”

Jongdae smiles with normal human teeth and rolls his eyes. “Not so hard, was it? Grab the umbrella and walk back to the car like normal, I’m going to take the rooftops to avoid being seen.” Baekhyun nods and watches as Jongdae scales the building like a leopard climbing a tree to hide a kill.

With the umbrella back in its place above his head and the knife settled in his jacket pocket, Baekhyun starts back towards the car. His hair is completely plastered to his head, clothes soaked straight through from the rain; he feels cold and wants nothing more than to be surrounded by the blasting warmth of the car’s heater. He wonders how pitiful he looks, if it’s going to make Kyungsoo want to coddle him.

He sort of hopes so.

Jongdae is already waiting for him at the car when he turns the corner about ten blocks away from the scene of the crime. The sound of the trunk being slammed shut rings through the quiet of the night and Baekhyun smiles.

There’s a sliver of pride under the nausea and stress that comes from killing another person – he provided for Kyungsoo and maybe proved that he’s more than just a weak little human pretending he’s worth a werewolf’s time. He wants Kyungsoo to be proud of him so badly it’s like a physical ache in his chest.

“You pick the music,” Jongdae makes a grand gesture towards the radio as they pull away from the curb. “That’s the rule Soo and I have for hunting nights, person who makes the kill gets to pick the music.”

Baekhyun smiles so wide his nose starts to crinkle and he doesn’t hesitate to turn on a pop station. Jongdae starts to sing along with the first song that plays after the commercial break and Baekhyun can’t help but join in, the two of them screeching their hearts out as they speed out of town.

Baekhyun looks in the rearview mirror, sees the city lights disappear as they drive up the hill towards the manor and realizes it feels like he’s heading home.

Kyungsoo is sitting out on the front porch when they pull up to the manor, watching them with a curious frown. He jerks when Jongdae rolls down the driver window and lets the music blasting out of the speakers out into the air, yelling through the rain that’s still pouring down from the skies, “Soo, you’re never going to guess what Baekhyun got you! I want to see kisses for this, you hear me? Kisses!”

Baekhyun laughs nervously, face burning as Jongdae goes to pinch his cheeks. “Look at these cheekies, they deserve kisses and you have been neglecting them!” Baekhyun swats at Jongdae’s hands, whining when he just holds on harder. “What? Are you saying you _don’t _want Kyungsoo to kiss you?” Jongdae levels him with a disbelieving stare, one eye bright blue, the other violet. “I know for a _fact _that that’s not true. It’s basically all you talk about – no biting! Save that for Soo!”

Baekhyun doesn’t know how but he blushes harder. He snaps at Jongdae’s fingers again for good measure. “You’re such an ass,” he laughs.

He finally pulls his face out of Jongdae’s hands and immediately goes tumbling backwards, yelping as the car door opens behind him. He falls against something warm and firm and hands come down to catch him by the shoulders.

He looks up and feels his breath catch in his throat, staring up at Kyungsoo framed by the night sky, stars twinkling around him, rainwater dripping off his brow and the tip of his nose as he crowds in closer, blocks out the storm with his body. A work of art in the moonlight. “You’re soaked through,” he murmurs, one hand coming to push Baekhyun’s wet hair out of his eyes.

“You’re getting wet too,” Baekhyun says, blinking dumbly as his heart skips a beat.

“Better me than you. I don’t get sick the way you do.” Kyungsoo steps back and sheds his jacket, holding it up over his head like a shield against the rain. “Come on, show me your gift. I’d been wondering why you hadn’t come over yet today.”

They have to stand so close together under Kyungsoo’s make-shift umbrella that Baekhyun completely forgets that he has a real one in the car, too mesmerized by the mole above Kyungsoo’s lips. He can see how they quirk into a smile, Kyungsoo’s eyes burning bright even through the darkness. Heat radiates off Kyungsoo like a furnace and Baekhyun almost steps closer, an asteroid caught up in a planet’s orbit.

They startle apart when the car beeps. Jongdae is at the now open trunk with a sly smile on his face.

Kyungsoo sniffs at the air and his expression fades into one of utter surprise. He herds Baekhyun around to the trunk, a warm, unyielding presence at his back. The jacket lands on top of his head as hands come to rest at his hips. Kyungsoo’s voice comes right next to his ear, breath hot against his skin in a way that makes goosebumps breakout along his arms, “This is fresh. You – _you_ killed him?”

Baekhyun nods sheepishly, not sure what to do with all the attention. He mumbles something about how the man had been stalking Taeyeon and Junmyeon had said it was a good idea.

The hands at hips squeeze for a fleeting second, Kyungsoo huffing out a laugh. “A knight in shining armor. You’re lucky nothing went wrong – _Jongdae _is lucky nothing went wrong. You should have told me you were going to do this. It could’ve been very easy for something to happen to you and Jongdae might not have been fast enough to get to you in time.”

He doesn’t say as much, but Baekhyun hears the memory of Minseok’s voice telling him that Kyungsoo wouldn’t be happy Baekhyun went out and did something like this without Kyungsoo there as back-up. He smiles to himself and leans back into Kyungsoo as much as he can without being _too _obvious.

“Get inside,” Kyungsoo uses the hold on Baekhyun’s hips to turn him towards the house, pushes him forward with a gentle shove. “Dae, we need to butcher this before it goes bad, so I need you to carry this to the kitchen.”

Jongdae scoffs, “And what are you going to do?”

“Get Baekhyun something to sleep in. His clothes are still soaked and, since his car isn’t here, I’m assuming he’s staying the night.” Baekhyun stops walking, turns at that, fighting down a little smile as he meets Kyungsoo’s eyes. Kyungsoo raises one eyebrow, amusement flashing across his face as he gestures for Baekhyun to keep walking.

Baekhyun can’t believe he’s in this position again, sitting at the counter that looks like the night sky with a mug of tea as another human being roasts in the oven.

It’s not all the same. He’s got a bowl of kimchi spaghetti to go with his tea. The human in the oven is one _he _killed. His dirty clothes are somewhere in the Kim’s laundry and he’s wearing an old t-shirt from a college up north and well-loved pajama pants that don’t belong to him, warm and just a little too big because they’ve been worn by someone with a lot more muscle mass than him.

The biggest difference is Kyungsoo sitting across from him with his own bowl of kimchi spaghetti, dark eyes watching him like he’s the only thing worth paying attention to.

“Good,” he asks, nodding towards Baekhyun’s dinner.

“Yeah, really good. Thank you.”

Kyungsoo regards him with curiosity for just a few moments. Baekhyun slurps up some of his food for something to do and immediately regrets it, cringing at the sound he makes. Kyungsoo only snorts and shakes his head though. His eyes are fond, like he thinks Baekhyun is maybe almost cute and not annoying.

The oven timer dings. Kyungsoo pulls out the sheet trays of meat and sets them on the stovetop to cool before settling back across the counter from Baekhyun. There are a few strips of meat in his hand. He chews them as he looks Baekhyun in the eye, watching, waiting.

Baekhyun holds his gaze the best he can and sips at his tea.

“Why did you decide to court me?”

Baekhyun blinks at the sudden question, takes in the focus in the furrow of Kyungsoo’s brow, his narrowed eyes. He licks his lips as he thinks, mind trying and failing to come up with a list of reasons, a single reason, a single coherent thought. He knows he should say something profound or praising, make Kyungsoo feel special. He has the story about the little girl at Super-Mart that he could use. But the words don’t come, pretty words failing him.

So he shrugs and watches Kyungsoo’s face shutter. His heart twists. “I’m sorry. I just – I can’t think of any real, big reason. I think that… Have you ever just looked at someone and _known_? Like you see them and there’s just this knowledge that they’re going to mean something to you?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head and Baekhyun frowns.

“Well,” he continues, figuring if he’s digging himself a grave he might as well go the full six feet, “that’s how it sort of was for me when I saw you. Like really _saw _you. You just did this really nice thing for this little girl and I saw it – I saw _you_ – and I thought, ‘I think I could be really happy with him. Happier than I’d be with anyone else.’ I just liked you. And then the more I’ve gotten to know you, the more I’ve gotten to liking you. It’s really all your fault, you know. If you weren’t yourself then I wouldn’t like you so much.”

And then Kyungsoo smiles at him. He opens up, face relaxing, eyes softening, and he _smiles _at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun feels his own face go slack with shock, blinking to makes sure he’s seeing clearly. He wonders if he’s dreaming, if he’ll wake up in a moment in his own apartment. He pinches himself and winces at the pain that tells him he’s awake. He’s awake, this is real. Kyungsoo is smiling at him.

Kyungsoo leans forward, just a little bit, and Baekhyun finds himself leaning in too, mesmerized by the curve of Kyungsoo’s lips, the light in his eyes as he says, a whisper just between them, “My fault, hm? Then I accept the blame with pride.”

☽*☾

The walk to the diner is an easy one even with the snow piled up on the sides of the sidewalk. The owners of the shops lining the roads had been kind enough to shovel more than just the walkway to their store so that no one would have to trudge through the snow that’s a good way up Baekhyun’s shin. It doesn’t mean that the sidewalk isn’t still slippery with ice though. Baekhyun’s got on a good, thick-soled pair of snow boots and he’s still having to waddle through town like a very large penguin, weight shifting from side-to-side as he tries to keep his balance.

His cheeks heat at the thought of Kyungsoo seeing him like this. The werewolf’s been showing up in town more and more in the past few weeks since Baekhyun gave him the human body as a courting gift, always somehow managing to catch Baekhyun as he’s walking through town to get his mail or a meal from the diner and manhandling him into the car with a quiet scolding about fragile human bodies and insufficient clothing.

Kyungsoo shoved a knitted red beanie on Baekhyun’s head last time, complete with a silly puffball at the top, and told him to keep his ears warm so Junmyeon didn’t make him drink the foul-tasting potion that wards off frostbite.

Baekhyun doesn’t step foot outside for even a second without that hat on his head, wearing it proudly despite how Taeyeon says it makes him look stupid.

A car rumbles down the road heading out of town, slowing as it passes Baekhyun. Baekhyun looks up from where he’d been scanning the sidewalk for any suspiciously shiny patches of concrete with his heart beating a little faster, a smile pulling at the edge of his lips as he looks for the sleek black car Kyungsoo drives.

A grey SUV pulls away from the curb instead. The windows are tinted, driver hidden from view, and it takes off towards the Super-Mart and the road that leads to the interstate.

Baekhyun shrugs it off as someone from out of town, probably stopping to ask for directions only to see the big sign on the other side of the road that told them how to get into the main city or back to the interstate.

When he finally makes it to the diner, he’s completely forgotten all about it. He’s much more interested in the black car parked on the curb, trunk covered in little scratches because Jongdae is bad about pulling his claws back in after a hunt. That’s what Kyungsoo told Baekhyun when he asked about them a few days ago, at least. He shuffles closer to see if Kyungsoo is sitting inside the car, waiting for someone – for _him_.

He frowns when he sees that the car is empty, but then he turns and spies Kyungsoo through the diner’s front window, sitting in a booth with a to-go box and a strawberry milkshake in a Styrofoam cup. Baekhyun nearly slips and faceplants onto the sidewalk in his haste to get the diner door, stomach filling up with butterflies.

It always does when he sees Kyungsoo, but it’s something entirely different now, with Kyungsoo holding a completely untouched strawberry milkshake that Baekhyun _knows_ he wouldn’t buy for himself.

Baekhyun’s about to yank open the door to the diner when he sees a tall man stand up from the other side of Kyungsoo’s booth. He’d been so focused on Kyungsoo that he didn’t even notice the man sitting across from him. Even from how far away Baekhyun is, he can see that man is ridiculously tall, maybe just a hair smaller than Chanyeol. Kyungsoo stands with him, laughing, smiling, more open than Baekhyun’s ever seen him before.

The strawberry milkshake is handed off to the other man who throws it back without a straw like a heathen. Kyungsoo laughs and Baekhyun’s stomach sinks. It wasn’t for him at all.

He wonders why Kyungsoo’s never been like this with him before, why he seems so at ease with this other man. The courtship complicates things between them. He knows it does, he _knows_. But it still makes him ache to see this stranger interacting with Kyungsoo the way he’s wanted to for so long.

He stills his hand on the door handle, swallowing uncomfortably. He tells himself that he’s overthinking everything, that things between him and Kyungsoo have been going better than anyone expected. Kyungsoo gives him rides, talks to him, worries about him. He slept in Kyungsoo’s fucking clothes – it was textbook scent-marking according to Junmyeon’s journal.

He scowls at his reflection in the door. He’s being stupid, being jealous over someone he has no right to be jealous over.

Baekhyun is a grown adult and he knows better than to act like this. It’s childish, gross, it’s so fucking _high school_. Kyungsoo would tell him if there was someone else in the picture. He hopes so, at least, relies on the deep-seated knowledge that Kyungsoo is a very honorable man. He wouldn’t cheat on Baekhyun. Not in any way, shape, or form.

And then Kyungsoo kisses the other man on the cheek, goes up on his toes and presses his lips to another man’s face.

Tears well up and spill down Baekhyun’s face before he can even process what he’s seeing, raw emotion slamming into his stomach. He has to clasp a hand over his mouth to stop the heartbroken sob that claws its way out of his throat. He doesn’t want to Kyungsoo to hear it, doesn’t want him to know that Baekhyun is here, his pathetic little human stalker getting his heart broken over a relationship that never really existed.

The other man is probably a werewolf. He’s probably able to keep up with Kyungsoo in all the ways Baekhyun can’t. He’s so much more worthy than Baekhyun.

The snow crunches under Baekhyun’s feet as he runs towards home, wanting to hide away and cry until the horrible, twisted feeling in his chest stops making him feel like he’s about to throw up. Until he can stop crying. He falls more than once, scrapes his palms on ice and frozen sidewalk until blood is beading, running down his hands in thin streams.

He doesn’t care, doesn’t give a fuck about the sting shooting up his arms or the risk of infection.

Kyungsoo’s hurt him so much already, what’s a little more pain?

It’s not even cheating. Cheating implies there was some sort of two-sided relationship. And there wasn’t one, not between him and Kyungsoo. It was all Baekhyun chasing after Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo being a decent person and trying to let him down easy. He wonders how many signs he missed that Kyungsoo wasn’t into him, that he was just trying to protect Baekhyun’s fragile human heart.

He’ll be so much happier with this other man. They probably have so much in common, unfairly attractive, built. Kyungsoo’s already more comfortable around him than he’s ever been around Baekhyun.

Baekhyun wonders how long Jongdae and the rest of them have known about this other man, if they were all just stringing him along for the fun of it. A human puppet that dances when they pull the strings.

He never meant anything to any of them.

He collapses in front of his door as the streetlights come on and just sobs into his knees for a little while, lets the heat from his tears ease some of sting of the biting cold on his nose and cheeks. His face hurts, his hands hurt, his heart hurts.

“Why didn’t you just say you didn’t like me,” he whispers, “Why couldn’t you like me? What’s so wrong with me?”

All he wanted was for Kyungsoo to like him, look at him, smile at him. He just wanted to make Kyungsoo happy. “Why can’t I do it?” Baekhyun’s never felt so low before, asking the empty, painful void in his chest, the quiet darkness of the night, what’s wrong with him.

He’s answered by a growl.

Baekhyun’s head snaps up at the sound, heart in his throat. A creature steps out from the shadows, white eyes blazing as they stare him down. The thing is massive, covered in shaggy black fur, slobber dripping down from its jaw, lips pulled back in a snarl to reveal teeth shining like knives. Part of him wonders if it’s a wolf – _Kyungsoo_.

But he’s seen those eyes in his dreams and Jongdae said Kyungsoo’s eyes are brown no matter what form he’s in. It’s not a wolf, not any sort of recognizable creature, four legs but no ears or tail, fur bristled like pine needles, snout too long, legs too long, paws the size of dinner plates. It’s just a massive, hulking monster that stalks closer and closer. Its stench wafts down the corridor.

Baekhyun freezes in fear, heart beating so fast and loud in his ears that he starts to shake. He pants shallowly, unevenly. His vision swims and the monster’s nails click against the concrete with each step. “Go away,” he whispers, “Please, go away.”

The things snarls, an ugly, guttural sound, something that’s near human and yet so _other_.

Baekhyun’s stomach rolls and a chill runs down his entire body. The sound is wrong; there’s something about it that is viscerally repulsive. It startles Baekhyun into moving. He fumbles with his keys and the things growls again, a warning. His dreams come back to him terrified flashes, white eyes in the night, hot breath next to his ear.

He doesn’t think they’re dreams anymore.

The monster starts to run. Baekhyun’s key won’t turn in the lock and his chest starts to tighten. “No no no no.” It only takes a moment before he finally gets the door open, scrambling to get into the apartment, but it’s enough for the monster to catch up to him.

He throws his body onto the door to close it just as the thing slams into the other side, snarling, growling, claws scratching against the wood. It’s so heavy that Baekhyun can’t get the door to shut, just barely able to hold it in place. He grits his teeth and tries to gather enough weight to shove the door shut even as his muscles scream in protest.

But then the thing changes tactics. Its claws appear in the crack between the door and the frame and Baekhyun can only watch in horror as it starts to leverage the door open.

He can’t hold the door much longer.

The monster’s snout sticks through the crack and starts to sniff wildly. Baekhyun looks left and right for anything to bar the door, give him a little more time. There’s nothing but a can of Febreze sitting on the entry table he left there one morning when he woke up late for work. He hadn’t had time to shower so he hosed himself down with the Febreze. He remembers that day, remembers Kyungsoo coming in and softly asking him to use less body spray, or switch to a different kind, because it was painful to his nose, made it hard to smell anything else.

Baekhyun doesn’t think, just lunges for the Febreze.

The door slams against the wall as the monster forces it open with furious snarl. Baekhyun turns on his heel and douses the entire area in Hawaiian Aloha with his eyes squeezed shut. There’s an awful shriek and _thudthudthudthud crash_.

He opens his eyes to the monster swinging its head around, squealing as it slams its head into everything it can reach. Baekhyun gets a glimpse of white eyes, now red and spilling tears, darting around blindly. It sneezes over and over, can’t stop. Baekhyun stands and watches like a fucking idiot for way too long, long enough that the monster’s thrashing brings it close. Too close.

He turns to run to the bedroom. Blind and unable to smell, it still manages to sink its teeth into his coat, biting down on the fabric and holding tight. It jerks back, shakes its head, and Baekhyun’s momentum knocks his own legs from under him.

He catches himself on his hands and has to swallow a scream of pain as the scrapes on his palms open wider, blood dripping onto the floor. The monster starts to pull across the floor, towards the open door.

Baekhyun is hit with the bone-deep, unshakable knowledge that if this thing gets him outside, he’s never going to make it back in. There’s no second chance, not if it pulls him out into the cold and the dark.

He just acts, pulls himself out of his coat and kicks back with both feet. His feet connect with something hard and the monster yelps in pain.

Baekhyun sprints to his room before the thing has a chance to recover. He slams the door shut and flips the deadbolt to lock it, rests his back against it as he pants for air. And then he pauses, not sure what to do next. He stares out at his bedroom, his empty, messy bedroom with nowhere to hide, the space underneath his bed filled with little boxes and knickknacks. His phone was in his coat, is out there with with monster. He should’ve run outside when he had the chance, run for his car. The Kims don’t care about him, but they wouldn’t let him _die_. Not that that matters anymore.

Baekhyun starts to cry, a hand clasped over his mouth to muffle his sobs. There’s no way out.

The bedroom door rattles in its frame as the monster throws itself against it. Baekhyun goes stumbling forward.

The bedroom door rattles again. Baekhyun looks back to see the wood begin to splinter. It won’t hold for long.

He lunges into his closet just to have another door between them. Inside, he starts yanking clothes down from their hangers. Anything to hide under. By pure chance, he pulls down Kyungsoo’s coat, the one he’d lent to Baekhyun the night he’d given him the windchime. It still smells like him and Baekhyun smiles as he curls into himself, pulls it over his body to hide.

Kyungsoo might not love him, but he loves Kyungsoo and the coat makes him feel like he’s here, offers a little bit of comfort as the bedroom door finally breaks open.

The sound of the door splintering off its hinges is joined by a deafening howl from somewhere else in the apartment. Claws scrabbling on tile and fake hardwood closer and closer, until there are two creatures in Baekhyun’s room, working together to find him. Baekhyun wonders how he never noticed two monsters coming around his apartment – probably because he was so fucking obsessed with Kyungsoo.

A growl rumbles through the room, through the floorboards, so loud and deep that Baekhyun can feel it in his chest.

Then there’s a pained yelp, a squeal. Baekhyun can only listen as two bodies go crashing through his room. Things snap and crash, the monsters shriek and snarl, and Baekhyun realizes very quickly that the creatures aren’t working together, they’re _fighting._

Baekhyun gasps for air behind his hand as he listens, wonders deliriously if his heart is going to give out before the monsters get to him.

The fight ends up right in front of the closet. Baekhyun tries to peak out through the crack in the bottom of the door, but all he sees is the eight paws in the darkness, a thick, fluffy tail hanging down in front of the door. Something happens, one lunges at the other faster than Baekhyun’s eyes can track, and then Baekhyun’s staring into white eyes.

The monster lets out a horrible, blood-curdling squeal and then the eyes go dark before the whole thing is slowly dragged away. Baekhyun recoils and squeezes his eyes shut.

The apartment is silent after that, deathly silent.

Baekhyun lies still in the darkness, blanketed by Kyungsoo’s coat. The adrenaline hasn’t waned yet, his body still certain that there’s danger. Baekhyun tries to force himself to steady his breathing. He waits and waits, too scared to come out and risk the imaginary safe place he’s made.

He peers out under the door one last time and gags at the pool of black liquid just outside the door, slowly creeping in. He remembers the night he killed that man – blood looks black at night.

Baekhyun hears footsteps and jerks back, eyes squeezed shut. He tucks himself away into the closet, as far back as he can go. The footsteps continue. They echo through the house, walking towards the bedroom. They’re purposeful but not hurried, not frantic, not chasing. They know exactly where they’re going, where he is.

The footsteps come to a stop right outside the closet. Baekhyun starts to shake with renewed adrenaline. He hopes the clothes are enough of a disguise, that this monster doesn’t have super-senses too.

The closet door opens with a _creeeeeak_. Baekhyun forces himself to breathe through his nose. The clothes above him are pulled away until all that’s left is Kyungsoo’s coat. The fabric smells like home. His feet are sticking out, painfully obvious. Baekhyun chokes back a sob.

“Where are you hurt? Tell me, Baekhyun. I smelled your blood. Where are you hurt? Did it bite you?”

Baekhyun opens his eyes just as the coat is pulled away. His eyes go wide at the sight of Kyungsoo staring down at him, blood smeared around his mouth, eyes wild as they scan Baekhyun’s body. He hauls Baekhyun up and into his arms, presses his face into Baekhyun’s neck and breathes deeply. “Talk to me,” Kyungsoo whispers, “Tell me you’re okay.”

“I’m okay.” Baekhyun shifts until he can rest his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, exposes more of his neck. “It didn’t hurt me.” Kyungsoo sighs in relief and tightens his arms around Baekhyun’s body. Baekhyun wraps his arms around Kyungsoo in return. It’s all hot, bare skin, slick with sweat and something a little tackier that Baekhyun doesn’t really want to think about right now. “You’re naked.”

Kyungsoo barks out a laugh then. “Yes, I am. Clothing doesn’t tend to survive shifts. I have an extra set in the car that I can get if you’re uncomfortable. Just let me hold you for a little while first.”

Baekhyun nods.

The silence is soft, comfortable, draws the adrenaline out of Baekhyun’s veins like poison from a wound. Exhaustion takes its place and makes him start to list into Kyungsoo’s arms. Kyungsoo doesn’t seem to mind, just shifts his grip to hold him tighter. He breathes against Baekhyun’s neck; lips brush against his skin and make him shiver with the little energy he has left. Baekhyun would be happy to stay like this forever, or at least the night, sleep away the fear in the safest place in the world.

But then Kyungsoo is pulling back and cupping Baekhyun’s face with both hands. He thumbs over the tear tracks that are slowly starting to dry. “Baekhyunnie,” so reverent, like a prayer to the most sacred of angels.

Baekhyun starts to cry again.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“How did you get here? Why did you come?”

“I drove here, followed your scent from the diner,” Kyungsoo brushes Baekhyun’s hair out of his eyes as he speaks, voice softly teasing, “I knew something was wrong then, because your scent stopped at the door and went back the way it came, like you saw something and it made you run home.”

Baekhyun wants Kyungsoo to hold him again but he’s too scared to ask, scared he’ll be pushed away. He’s scared this kindness is temporary, that Kyungsoo will suddenly remember the man from the diner and realize Baekhyun’s not the one he wants. And because Baekhyun can’t control his own goddamn mouth, he has to go and ruin everything for himself, “W-who was the man at the diner?”

“That man’s name is Sehun. He is a good friend and the son of the leader of the only werewolf pack in the area. Today, he met with me as his mother’s representative and I told him that I would be taking a mate very soon.” Kyungsoo smiles then and leans forward to press his lips to Baekhyun’s forehead, humming a gentle tune as he draws Baekhyun in close again. “You saw me kiss him, didn’t you? Werewolf custom with close friends, nothing romantic about it.”

Baekhyun nods, cheeks heating in embarrassment. “And I saw you give him that milkshake.”

Kyungsoo lets out a deep, side-heaving laugh. “Oh, that wasn’t strawberry – I brought that from home, a gift from one of my kind to the other.”

“That was _raw meat_,” Baekhyun gags, face scrunching up in disgust. Kyungsoo laughs harder, calls him precious, kisses his forehead again. “That’s so gross! You should at least cook it first! That fucks up the blender! You can’t disinfect that entire thing!”

Kyungsoo hums, “Hm, that’s true. Hadn’t thought of that. I’ll get a blender specifically for you then, can’t have my mate getting sick, can I?”

Baekhyun gets the distinct feeling that he’s being teased but shoves it aside, heart racing in his chest as he wipes away the last of his tears. “Your mate? You mean it?” Kyungsoo nods, brown eyes warm and open. His entire face is open, emotions on display for Baekhyun to see without single wall between them. Kyungsoo smiles at him and Baekhyun’s heart skips a beat, smiling back without a second thought.

“I was going to ask you soon, this weekend, most likely. Cleaned out a space in my room for you already, have some vacation days set aside so that we can settle in.” Kyungsoo shifts so that Baekhyun is straddling his lap, pressed chest-to-chest.

“I won you over?”

Kyungsoo nods. “You won me over. You’re all I’ve been able to think about lately. I keep going into town, just driving around hoping I would see you. I didn’t want to stop by Super-Mart too often because I didn’t want to risk you getting in trouble, but I’ve pissed off everyone in the house because I keep asking if they needed anything from the store.

“I think I scared the shit out of Sehun today too. We walked out of the diner and I smelled you and just threw my leftovers at him and took off, didn’t even say goodbye.”

A small part of Baekhyun preens at that, the knowledge that he means so much to Kyungsoo that he’d leave one of his closest friends to chase after him. He thinks Kyungsoo knows it too, because the werewolf pinches at his cheek for a moment, amusement dancing in his eyes.

The moon is in the sky now and it reflects off the pool of blood over Kyungsoo’s shoulder. The sight of it makes Baekhyun’s stomach drop, filled with lead.

“Did you – is the monster dead,” Baekhyun asks. Kyungsoo nods and Baekhyun takes a deep breath. “Good. I’m glad.”

Kyungsoo grins, some of the wildness returning to his eyes. “A lot of emotions don’t have a particular scent, but fear does. I could smell your fear as I pulled into the parking lot, smelled your blood before that. I could smell the shifter too, stank like rotting meat. I remembered it from when I drove you home months ago, the day I told you to call Jongdae if you saw anything strange.”

Baekhyun nods. “It’s been watching me for a long time. It’s why I couldn’t sleep, kept seeing those eyes in my sleep but couldn’t figure out where I’d seen them. What was it?”

“We call them shifters, generally, but not every shifter is like that thing. Werewolves are shifters, but we’ve been around so long and have so much history that we have our own name. Most shifters are either born, like me and Sehun, or turned by a born shifter. The thing that attacked you was a human that tried to become a shifter through magic. Never ends well. Too unnatural, the other form is always wrong because their body doesn’t know how to shift naturally. The pain is usually too much, drives them insane. Makes them attack humans.”

“Oh,” Baekhyun says.

Kyungsoo nods and starts to nose along Baekhyun’s throat again. “Smart boy, using the Febreze. The thing couldn’t smell you at all. I couldn’t smell you that well either.”

“But you found me?”

“I said I couldn’t smell you that well, not that I couldn’t smell you at all. I’d know your scent anywhere, Baekhyunnie, especially when it’s layered with my own.” Kyungsoo makes a low, rumbling sound in his throat, hands slipping down to Baekhyun’s hips and holding tight. “You’re still bleeding, I can smell it.”

Baekhyun nods and pulls his arms out from around Kyungsoo’s body, offering up his scraped-up palms like tribute to a God. “Fell a few times when I was running home and then again in the entryway. Nothing serious.”

He squeaks in surprise when Kyungsoo grabs both wrists and brings his hands up to his mouth, warm tongue laving over the abrasions. Baekhyun’s stomach swoops at the wet sensation and he squeezes his eyes shut so he doesn’t have to see the dark, heavy expression in Kyungsoo’s. Baekhyun remembers a single sentence in Junmyeon’s journal about how werewolf saliva, alphas in particular, is a good disinfectant because of werewolves’ natural resistance to germs.

“Byun Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun tries to steady his breathing as he blinks his eyes open, Kyungsoo’s tone slipping into something dangerously serious. Kyungsoo is watching him those dark eyes and it’s like the oxygen is disappearing. “Y-yeah?”

“I wish to make you my mate tonight. You can say no and we will wait until you’re ready. I will still love you and I will still take care of you.” Kyungsoo’s tone is gentle even as he stares at Baekhyun like he wants to devour him. “The courtship was for me, this time is for you. Take as much as you need.”

“I don’t need any, I want it. Want you. I want to be your mate,” Baekhyun smiles, “Haven’t I made that obvious?”

Kyungsoo snorts. “Do you know what it means for me to mate you? What we’re going to do?”

Baekhyun’s mouth goes dry at the thought, arousal burning in his gut. He remembers reading that section of Junmyeon’s journal underneath his covers with a flashlight, a flashback to being a teenager reading dirty fanfics on his phone. Considering the intimate details Junmyeon felt the need to include about the actual _mating _process, it wasn’t too far from some of the more barebones smut he’d read. “I, uh, I read the journal.”

“Reading is different from living.” Kyungsoo leans in and presses his lips to the thin skin low on Baekhyun’s neck anyway. Baekhyun tips his head back, gives him all the access he wants, natural as breathing.

His heart races all the same, lizard brain recognizing the sharp teeth inches from his carotid. Baekhyun offers himself up; the prey going belly up in front of a predator.

“Can only live it once,” he breathes as Kyungsoo tugs the collar of his shirt to the side. “Want to live it with you.”

Kyungsoo leans up and kisses him without a moment of hesitation, of warning. Baekhyun flails for a heartbeat before melting into the touch. A pathetic little sound works its way out of his throat, wanting, needing, pleading. Kyungsoo hums in response and pulls away, eyes warm and swimming with affection that knocks the air out of Baekhyun’s lungs. “Sweet-talker,” he murmurs, “Going to spoil you.”

Then he moves back to Baekhyun’s shoulder. The fabric of Baekhyun’s shirt rips to give him access to the meat of his shoulder, away from delicate, necessary blood vessels and nerves. Sharp teeth press against the skin for a moment.

Baekhyun realizes he’s literally in the jaws of a predator as Kyungsoo whispers, “This is going to hurt. A lot.”

And holy _fuck _it does. Kyungsoo’s teeth slice through his skin and he can feel blood running down his shoulder seconds later. Baekhyun lets out a choked-off scream before biting down on his lip to hold in the sound. The bite burns, stings, throbs when Kyungsoo holds him still with his teeth because he tries to pull away from the pain. Part of him tries to rationalize it, pull up the passages about saliva seeping into the wound, bonding them together at a magical, molecular level. He can’t hear it over the rest of him though. Not when the rest of him is screaming in pain.

“Hurts.” He can barely get the word, gasping for air as he tries to remind himself to breathe.

Kyungsoo rumbles against the wound, hands squeezing comfortingly at his hips.

The second he pulls his teeth out, Baekhyun slumps forward, burying his face in Kyungsoo’s neck to hide the tears welling up at the pain. He winces when Kyungsoo laps gently at where blood is continuing to run. It hurts still, warm tongue irritating and soothing the torn skin in turns. He almost wants to ask Kyungsoo to stop, but he knows he can’t. Kyungsoo won’t anyway; it’s instinct to clean Baekhyun’s wounds whether he wants it or not, ten-fold when it’s the mating mark.

“You did so well.” Kyungsoo kisses along Baekhyun’s jaw when he finishes cleaning his shoulder, Baekhyun’s blood still smeared around his mouth. “I’m so proud of you. Proud of myself for having you.”

Baekhyun feels blood rush to his face and rubs his face against Kyungsoo’s neck in embarrassment with a whine.

Jongdae, Junmyeon, and Minseok had said that Kyungsoo would be near insufferable after they mated, but Baekhyun didn’t think that this would be what they meant. He doesn’t think they realized that this would be far from insufferable to him, or maybe they did, because they were the ones to help him woo his mate over – _his mate_. All Baekhyun’s.

He’s all Kyungsoo’s, and Kyungsoo _wants _him, wants just him.

That knowledge alone is worth the lingering pain in his shoulder.

The hands on his hips slip up and under his shirt. Baekhyun shifts in surprise, settles more firmly in Kyungsoo’s lap, and blinks at the bulge pressing against his ass. And he suddenly remembers that there is more to mating than just letting Kyungsoo chew on him for a few minutes.

“I’ll bandage you up once we get home. But we need to get home _very_ soon.”

Baekhyun looks up and his eyes widen when he sees that Kyungsoo’s pupils have started to blow out. He knew it would happen, knew that werewolves feel a very intense, undeniable need to fuck their newly acquired mate through the nearest mattress or six, but it’s something else to be faced with it. It’s something else to see how badly Kyungsoo wants him, claws poking through his jeans as Kyungsoo’s hands wander down to his thighs.

Arousal settles lows in Baekhyun’s gut and he nods. “Yeah, we should go. I just need to get my phone and maybe some clothes to sleep in – nope, none of my clothes, okay, I get it.”

Kyungsoo’s low growl is enough to make him drop that idea, instead grabbing the coat he’d given Baekhyun months ago and slipping his arms through the sleeves. “Mine got ripped up by the thing and it’s still cold outside.”

The jacket ends up half off his injured shoulder anyway. Partly because the sensation of fabric rubbing against it is very uncomfortable. Mostly because Kyungsoo very obviously does not like not being able to see the wound on Baekhyun’s shoulder.

As they leave, Kyungsoo pressed along Baekhyun’s back like he’s trying to melt into him, they pass by a giant cork board for pictures, thumbtacks, and strings. The banner at the top reads _What the Fuck is Jongdae?_ and Baekhyun can feel Kyungsoo muffling laughter against the back of his neck. “Shut up! It’s very confusing, okay? He makes no sense at all and I was just trying to figure it out!”

“I know what he is,” Kyungsoo murmurs. He presses his lips against the wound on Baekhyun’s shoulder that’s still bleeding sluggishly. “I’ll tell you for a price, we can negotiate it later.”

“That’s not fair, I’m your mate!”

“That’s why your payment will come in the form of kisses and not money.”

Baekhyun frowns but eventually concedes, and that’s only after Kyungsoo makes a not-so subtle comment about needing to get home, get Baekhyun in his space, _as soon as possible_, nerves fraying with his new mate out in the open, with Baekhyun’s ass pressed back against his hips.

☽*☾

Kyungsoo’s bed is soft under his back as he bounces off the neatly made sheets. Baekhyun lands with a giggle and blinks up at the ceiling, tension prickling under his skin, twisting in his stomach. He worked for months to woo Kyungsoo, and it's actually working – has _already _worked. The dull ache in his shoulder is proof enough of that, impressions of Kyungsoo's teeth scabbing over.

Jongdae had found them in the bathroom between his and Kyungsoo's rooms, Baekhyun sitting on the counter with his head tilted to the side to give the werewolf standing between his legs an easier time applying a bandage. Jongdae's eyes, one bright blue and the other flat black, had lit up at the sight and he'd nearly started calling for the rest of the family before noticing the way Kyungsoo was caging Baekhyun in, blocking most of Jongdae's view with his body. Baekhyun is pretty sure he heard Kyungsoo growl when Jongdae stepped over the threshold into the bedroom.

Jongdae's eyes went wide in surprise and he backed up, hands up in surrender. _Not trying to take your mate, Soo, just wanted to congratulate you two. That's a pretty bite on his neck, must've hurt like a bitch._

It did hurt like a bitch, still hurts even under the bandage. Baekhyun presses the back of his hand against the gauze and hisses at the ache. Kyungsoo makes a sound somewhere between a growl and a grunt in obvious displeasure. Baekhyun's not happy either; Kyungsoo's not at his side.

The door closes with a _click, _the sound repeating when the deadbolt flips_, _and Baekhyun shifts up onto his elbows to figure out where his mate went.

His mouth goes dry and he struggles to swallow as he watches Kyungsoo advance towards him. Kyungsoo never bothered getting dressed again after herding Baekhyun out of the apartment, entire body on display. His muscles shift under his skin, built from hard work and stupid, incredibly sexy supernatural powers.

"Holy shit, you're so hot," Baekhyun breathes as Kyungsoo crawls onto the bed and up over Baekhyun's body, presses their noses together. He goes flat against the mattress with a gentle shove, collapsing into the navy comforter.

Kyungsoo smiles and Baekhyun's stomach does flips worthy of at least a silver medal. He looks much more centered now than he did on the way home, not as tense now that they're in the safety of his space, that Baekhyun’s caged in under his body. He'd given a very short, very tense explanation of the bond not settling until Baekhyun has been fucked through the mattress.

Lucky for the both of them that Baekhyun would very much like for Kyungsoo to fuck him through the mattress as soon as possible.

"I should be saying that," Kyungsoo dips down to kiss Baekhyun's lips. "Should be the one paying you compliments. You're the prettiest person I've ever seen."

Baekhyun squirms at the praise, soaking it up like a desert in a monsoon but embarrassed about how much it he loves it, wants it, _needs _it. "Shut up."

"No."

His pout is met with an amused smirk. Kyungsoo's eyes go dark. Baekhyun's stomach swoops as the pout is kissed off his mouth, arousal simmering just under the surface.

It's really not fair that Kyungsoo is so fucking hot.

Kyungsoo had stripped off Baekhyun's shirt in the bathroom because the collar was soaked in blood, pinched the little bit of softness on his belly and kissed him when he whined. He called him pretty, perfect. Baekhyun got more than a little hard and tried to pretend it didn't happen.

Now, Kyungsoo splays a palm against Baekhyun's belly to hold him in place as he's kissed stupid. Baekhyun's mouth falls open in a gasp at the hint of claws against the soft skin of his stomach and Kyungsoo takes the opportunity to shove his tongue in Baekhyun's mouth. He traces the shape of Baekhyun's teeth, licks along the roof of his mouth.

Baekhyun lets out a mortifyingly needy moan against Kyungsoo's lips and his face burns in embarrassment.

Kyungsoo makes a sound like a purr in his chest as he pulls back. "Prettiest sounds, like music."

Baekhyun surges up to connect their lips again to stop Kyungsoo from saying anything else. He doesn't want all this praise, doesn't want to confront how much it turns him on.

It doesn't seem like Kyungsoo minds much either, just presses Baekhyun back into the sheets and kisses him until Baekhyun is forced to pull away to gasp for air. Kyungsoo doesn't seem even a little winded, kissing along Baekhyun's jaw and neck as Baekhyun pants for air, sharp teeth scraping against sensitive skin. It makes Baekhyun want to wear Kyungsoo out. He can't, he knows he'll give out long before his werewolf, but he wants to try.

He runs his hands down the chest offered to him – it's his to touch just as his body is Kyungsoo's, clawed hands roaming his torso without hesitation. He tries to keep it as innocent as possible as it can be when Kyungsoo's naked and he's bare from the waist up.

He's hit by a wave of shyness out of nowhere, only touching with his fingertips and keep his gaze focused away from Kyungsoo's face. Muscles flex at his touch and it makes him more than a little dizzy, blood rushing south.

"Touch me, Baekhyun. I want you to touch me. I won't turn you away, don't be scared."

Baekhyun bites at his lower lip and nods, "Hard to not be scared, been wanting you for a long time and it's not like things have really been easy between us."

Kyungsoo stills. Something flashes across his face before he frowns and leans in to rub their noses together, affection that Baekhyun laps up greedily. "Things couldn't be easy between us, not before. Mating is for life. I couldn't accept you without knowing we could work. I had to make sure you were serious enough about me to withstand rejection." Kyungsoo's hands smooth down Baekhyun's sides like he's soothing, like he's apologizing. His voice is so deep Baekhyun feels it into his own chest, "That's why I'm going to spoil you now."

Kyungsoo bites down roughly Baekhyun's neck as one of his hands slip under the waistband of his pants to cup his half-hard dick.

Baekhyun gasps and goes limp, instincts forcing him still.

The noise Kyungsoo makes then has Baekhyun whimpering, so satisfied, so smug, like the cat that caught the canary and washed it down with the cream. Baekhyun hardens so fast as Kyungsoo shoves his pants down to his knees to get at his cock that he has to blink rapidly because the ceiling starts to spin. The teeth in his neck stay there, keep in him place for Kyungsoo to touch.

“Take it,” Kyungsoo’s voice is hot air against his skin. Baekhyun shivers helplessly, caught between the teeth at his pulse and the hand fisted around his cock. He tries to arch up, thrust into Kyungsoo’s hands, but his hips are pushed down flat. “Lie there and take it. Let your mate make you feel good.”

Baekhyun moans at the words and squeezes his eyes shut in embarrassment. “Soo, please. Want to touch you too. Want to kiss you.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t say another word, just continues stroking up and down Baekhyun’s shaft. He plays with the sensitive spot just under the head and chuckles when Baekhyun can’t help roll his hips for more friction. Arousal sits under his skin, boiling, burning, making him squirm because he doesn’t know how to handle being the center of Kyungsoo’s attention.

“Soo,” Baekhyun whimpers, begging for a kiss as his legs jerk, feet sliding across the blankets. He needs to touch Kyungsoo, needs to ground himself before he goes flying off the handle, spiraling down into his own head because every sensation is magnified tenfold. The journal says that this is supposed to ease him into what sex is like after mating, pleasure ricocheting through the bond like a ping-pong ball, Baekhyun’s pleasure feeding Kyungsoo’s feeding Baekhyun’s on and on until they both come so hard they can’t move for half an hour.

The teeth in his neck finally dislodge. He lets out a sigh of relief even though he can already feel it bruising. “That was mean,” he whines quietly, fixing Kyungsoo with a pout, “I am already going to be sore from the bite.” And Kyungsoo’s cock, but he thinks that’s better left unsaid.

Kyungsoo presses their lips together for a long moment. The hand on Baekhyun’s cock slows and he relaxes into the blankets even as he tilts his head to deepen the kiss. His eyes flutter shut and he presses his hands flat against Kyungsoo's chest, nipples brushing against his palms. Kyungsoo jerks at the touch and Baekhyun giggles into Kyungsoo’s mouth before thumbing over his nipples again.

Kyungsoo pulls away and Baekhyun’s hands are batted away from the pretty nubs a few moments later. He opens his eyes to pout at his mate again.

He’s met with a werewolf who is doing his absolute fucking best to control himself as an unsettled bond screams at him to shove his cock into his mate as deep as it can possibly go. “You’re so beautiful.”

And Baekhyun decides not to push him, just spreads his legs the best he can with his pants and underwear stuck around his knees. He tries not to look too eager when Kyungsoo yanks his pants the rest of the way down his legs and tosses them somewhere behind him. He fits himself between Baekhyun’s legs again, so close that his cock drags along the inside of Baekhyun’s thighs, hot and thick, leaving a wet trail of precum as it moves.

Precum beads at the slit of Baekhyun’s cock, gathers and gathers until it runs down his shaft. Kyungsoo’s gaze shifts from Baekhyun’s face to where his legs are spread, and he smirks.

The precum is gathered up on clawed fingers and smeared down past Baekhyun’s cock, lower and lower until a fingertip is pressing against his hole. Baekhyun whimpers softly in fear at the pinpricks of pain on sensitive, delicate skin.

“Can’t pull my claws back right now but I’ll be careful. Never want to hurt you,” Kyungsoo murmurs as he lies down on his front between Baekhyun’s legs.

He mouths at the soft skin of Baekhyun’s thighs, bites down just shy of breaking skin like he’s marking his territory. Because he most certainly is. “Prettiest fucking thighs. Had to watch you walk around in skinny jeans that were molded to you and couldn’t touch.”

“You could’ve, I wanted you to.”

Kyungsoo fixes him with a very unamused stare and bites down over a spot that is already starting to bruise. Baekhyun yelps, but the sting is already being soothed away by Kyungsoo’s tongue.

Kyungsoo trails kisses up Baekhyun’s thighs. Baekhyun stares straight up at the ceiling, chest heaving as he pants, hips held in place by Kyungsoo’s hands. Kyungsoo kisses up until the junction of his hip and thigh and stops; he nibbles a bruise into the crease.

Baekhyun’s thighs are coaxed wider by Kyungsoo’s bulk, hands forcing his hips to tilt up and spreading his cheeks. Baekhyun feels his face go hot as his hole is put on display. Hot breath fans across the sensitive skin, makes his hole twitch because it’s not used to all the attention anymore. “Wh-what are you doing?”

“Need to get you wet before I fuck you.” And that’s all the warning Baekhyun gets before Kyungsoo licks a fat stripe across his hole.

Baekhyun squeals and tries to jerk away in surprise, but his hips are still held fast in Kyungsoo’s hold. The werewolf doesn’t give him any time to adjust, just dives in and licks at Baekhyun’s asshole like a man possessed. Baekhyun can only writhe and squeal, letting out embarrassing little mewls at the hot, wet, too much pleasure.

The warm wet of Kyungsoo’s tongue is exquisite. Baekhyun can’t remember the last time someone ate him out – doesn’t think anyone’s ever eaten him out quite like this, like they can’t imagine doing anything else but shoving their tongue in his ass. And Kyungsoo does shove his tongue in Baekhyun’s ass, thick tongue opening his hole up until it doesn’t know how to do anything else but take.

Baekhyun’s hands skate across Kyungsoo’s shaved head as he fumbles for something to hold onto, some sort of leverage to ride back against Kyungsoo’s face. Not that leverage would do him any good, because Kyungsoo’s manhandling him where he wants Baekhyun to go, keeping his thighs spread nice and wide.

He feels exposed. He feels beautiful.

He tries, once, to wrap a hand around his own cock, but a growl rumbles out of Kyungsoo throat, a warning. He pulls at his own hair with one hand instead, cock lying painfully untouched in his stomach.

He doesn’t know how long Kyungsoo eats him out. Time starts to lose meaning as his brain goes soft and cloudy from the pleasure and sweet exhaustion, babbling quietly, helplessly, body strung out.

Eventually, the werewolf loosens his grip on Baekhyun’s hips enough for Baekhyun to start riding his tongue. Moans pour out of him, little noises pulled out from the back of his throat kicking and screaming. He tries to hold back the worst of them, the ones that sound like he’s dying, helpless little sobs of pleasure tinged with sweet, aching pain from his bruises.

Kyungsoo doesn’t like that, though. He pulls back, voice deep, hoarse, a rumble in his chest as he orders, "Sing for me."

And Baekhyun does, because Kyungsoo manages to get the claws on a couple of his fingers to retract and he shoves them in along with his tongue, presses them against Baekhyun’s prostate. He’s so wet, fingers squeezing inside him with a squelch. Kyungsoo’s saliva is thick and Baekhyun feels sloppy. Baekhyun lets out these warbling little cries that make Kyungsoo groan, clenching down around the fingers and tongue inside him.

Pleasure coils in his gut, hangs him over the edge without letting him fall because it’s _just _not there yet. He needs more, wants more. He wants to come, preferably on Kyungsoo’s cock, but he’s not too picky at this point, when he knows he’ll get fucked regardless.

Baekhyun is begging for a kiss when Kyungsoo finally pulls away, deems him wet and loose enough to move on. “Kiss me,” he reaches for his mate with grabby hands and makes a face when Kyungsoo spits on the sheets before leaning in. “I’m not gross.”

“Germs, love, I don’t get sick, but you can.” Kyungsoo gives him a series of short, quick kisses, nuzzles their noses together. “Love you. So pretty, such a good mate. So patient.”

“Not anymore. I used up all my patience courting you so now you’re stuck with the real me.”

Kyungsoo just smiles and kisses his forehead. He wraps his arms around Baekhyun and lifts him up so they’re pressed together, ruts his cock against Baekhyun’s stomach and smears precum against his skin. “You are patient, very patient. It’s why I am doing my best to be patient now. You waited for me, I will wait for you.”

“Wait for me for what,” Baekhyun asks, “To be ready? I’ve _been_ ready, Soo. I’ve wanted you to fuck me for nearly a year.”

One eyebrow goes up in amusement. “I know. Trust me, I know. Your scent becomes very distinctive when you’re aroused. It’s even more pleasant up close. But I don’t want to rush this, don’t want to risk hurting you.”

And Baekhyun blushes, painfully embarrassed.

He cups Kyungsoo’s face in both hands and kisses the tip of his nose just to watch his eyes cross. “You won’t hurt me, you’d never. You’re the nicest cannibal werewolf I’ve ever met.” He yelps before dissolving into giggles when Kyungsoo gently pinches his side. “And I love you too.”

Kyungsoo smiles so softly for a moment, stares at Baekhyun like he’s the center of the universe. It makes Baekhyun’s heart skip a beat, butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

His mate leans down and presses a gentle, gentle, _so, so gentle_ kiss to the bandage over the bite. He whispers something Baekhyun can’t hear before manhandling Baekhyun onto his hands and knees, chest pressed down to the bed and hips tilted up. He slaps Baekhyun on the ass once just to watch him startle and jerk.

Fingers drag down the curve of Baekhyun’s ass. Kyungsoo takes a handful of each cheek and squeezes before dipping his fingers into Baekhyun’s crack and slipping two inside him. Baekhyun whimpers, knees slipping further apart on the comforter.

“I’m ready,” he whines. He pushes back onto Kyungsoo’s fingers all the same, clenches down on them and moans at how thick they feel inside him. “I’m ready, just fuck me.”

Warmth drapes itself over Baekhyun, Kyungsoo’s chest pressed flush to his back, lips at his ear. “Ready for my cock, not my knot. You’ve never had a knot before, never been broken open. Humans tear so easily. Let me take care of you, Baekhyunnie.”

Baekhyun pouts but gives in, nodding and settling in. The fingers inside him rub against his walls, soft circles around his prostate to make him shake and drool onto the blankets. “Kiss me. Kiss me kiss me kiss me.”

Kyungsoo chuckles, “Whatever you want.”

Baekhyun turns his head as far to the side as possible, gives his mate full, unimpeded access to his mouth. Kyungsoo nibbles on his bottom lip, sucks it into his hot, wet mouth. And Baekhyun just moans. His breath hitches as a third finger works its way inside him. The stretch is a hardly noticeable ache, slipping into pleasure as a thumb rubs against the sensitive skin of his rim.

Baekhyun works his hips back onto Kyungsoo’s fingers again and again, moaning out helplessly with each pass over his prostate. Kyungsoo groans in time, bites marks along any inch of bare skin he can reach.

Baekhyun feels overheated, sweat dripping down his forehead as the pleasure burns through him. His thighs shake when Kyungsoo starts to fuck him with four fingers, the arm Kyungsoo wraps around his waist keeping him up.

“You take my fingers so well,” Kyungsoo purrs into his ear, “You’re going to look so beautiful on my knot. You like being stretched, don’t you? Going to love my knot. Do you think you’ll come on it? I don’t think you’ll last that long; you’re going to come as soon as I push in, aren’t you?”

Baekhyun just shakes and whines. “I-I don’t…please, please, Soo, I’m ready. I need you.”

“Then you’ll have me.” Kyungsoo’s fingers pull out suddenly and leave Baekhyun empty, hole clenching down on nothing. He doesn’t like feeling empty. He cants his hips back for more, for something, anything.

Kyungsoo leans back and spreads his cheeks wide with one hand. Thick, blunt heat rubs up and down his crack, over his hole. Kyungsoo’s cock spits precum against his hole, thick and so wet that it makes Baekhyun feel filthy, makes his face burn.

“Breathe for me, my mate, just keep breathing.” Then there’s pressure, unavoidable, undeniable pressure at his hole, opening him up in one slow, smooth thrust.

Baekhyun chokes. Kyungsoo is _thick_, spreads him so much wider than four fingers. He claws at the blankets and tries to breathe through the stretch, pleasure and pain twisting around each until he can’t tell which way is up. Kyungsoo doesn’t stop until his hips are pressed against Baekhyun’s ass, one hand smoothing along Baekhyun’s spine. “I’m here, beautiful, right here. You’re so fucking tight, so hot. Taking me perfectly.”

“Soo,” is all Baekhyun’s able to say before Kyungsoo is pulling back and thrusting in again, unending pressure against his prostate. His body tightens up, goes taut like a bowstring. He hiccups.

And then he comes.

Kyungsoo snarls above him, drops down to cage him in and kiss along his hairline. Baekhyun sobs through the pleasure and shakes in Kyungsoo’s arms. Pleasure crests and slams into him like ocean waves again and again. It goes on for so long, longer than he wants, so long it starts to hurt, tears falling down his cheeks as he milks the cock inside him.

He thinks Kyungsoo fucks him through it, he must, because he comes back to himself, shaking and oversensitive, to Kyungsoo’s teeth in his neck, body rocking with deep, powerful thrusts.

It hurts so badly, forces the air out of his stomach as his nerves sing raw. But he doesn’t ask Kyungsoo to stop, doesn’t _want _him to stop because he can feel Kyungsoo’s pleasure in his head, hot and bright, like looking directly at the sun. It takes over the pain and drags him back to the edge of orgasm.

“You’re too perfect. Won’t last much longer.” Kyungsoo pulls Baekhyun close and kisses his cheek, lapping at his tears. “Shh, love, don’t cry. I’ve got you.”

“Soo… Soo, I’m so close.”

Baekhyun’s body struggles to open up as the base of Kyungsoo’s cock grows, thrusts slowing. Baekhyun hiccups, gasps, turns his head to try and bury his face in Kyungsoo’s neck. “It’s too much. Too much, it hurts.”

Kyungsoo thrusts in to the hilt one last time and holds there, lets his knot grow and grow, stretching Baekhyun wider and wider. His werewolf drops kisses over bit of skin available, pets at his sides with gentle hands. “You’re doing so well, Baekhyunnie. You’re taking it beautifully. Look at you, stretched on my knot. So perfect. Just keep breathing. You’re going to feel so much better in a moment. I love you. It’s alright, I love you.”

Kyungsoo shifts his hips, grinds his knot into Baekhyun’s walls. The knot presses up against Baekhyun’s prostate and makes him choke out a cry, hips rolling back uncontrollably. He starts to beg, just stupid, useless noises falling from his lips as pleasure-pain burns through his veins, makes him go dizzy.

There’s a choked-off groan at his ear, and then Kyungsoo stills above him. The knot swells, just a little, just enough to press against every sensitive spot inside him and tip him over the edge.

He feels Kyungsoo start to come, hot, wet spurting inside his body. And then Baekhyun is convulsing, coming dry and screaming at the burning pleasure. His hole milks Kyungsoo’s knot for every last drop of cum it has, feels it paint his walls; his belly feels so full and warm, all plugged up.

He lets out warbling mewls as Kyungsoo tips them over onto their sides. Kyungsoo gathering Baekhyun in his arms and kissing the back of his neck. The werewolf hums a soft song and tugs a blanket over them.

They’re sticky, sweaty, gross. Everything hurts and he feels like one giant raw nerve. “Closer,” Baekhyun whispers, “Hold me closer.”

“Of course, love, of course. Whatever you need.” Baekhyun settles down as he’s wrapped up tight, craning his neck for more kisses. Kyungsoo gives them easily, settling him with soft touches and words, “The first time is always hard on non-werewolves. It won’t hurt like that again, I promise.”

Baekhyun nods quietly. “I’m really sore.” The pleasure bleeds out of his system, leaving the pain behind, and he has to bite his lip against the tears.

Kyungsoo makes a soft hurt noise, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll carry you wherever you want to go. I’m all yours, love.”

The knot goes down eventually, Kyungsoo pulls out slowly and then rolls Baekhyun over to face him before he can finish hissing in pain. He captures Baekhyun’s lips in a deep, claiming kiss, cupping his face with the palm of a hand. Kyungsoo pulls back and his smile is stunning, entire face perfectly content.

“Your lips make a heart when you smile,” Baekhyun mumbles sleepily. “‘s really cute.” He squirms as close to Kyungsoo as humanly possible and then settles, eyelids growing heavy.

A laugh, happy and fond. “Sweet thing,” Kyungsoo leaves gentle kisses over his brow and eyelids, “Love you, my perfect, precious mate. I’ll spoil you rotten if you’re not careful.”

Baekhyun makes a noise that’s supposed to be _I love you too. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. _Bone-deep exhaustion slurs the words, makes his tongue slow and lips clumsy. But Kyungsoo kisses his forehead and calls him sweet, so he figures he’s made his point.

Warm hands stroke up and down the skin of his back, his face buried in Kyungsoo’s neck as sleep pulls him farther and farther down. He’s on the precipice, not quite ready but not quite sure what he’s waiting for.

Something settles in him, sinks into the marrow of his bones, into the very heart of his being. And he just knows Kyungsoo’s going to be right here when he wakes up, that Kyungsoo loves him and is always going to love him, going to stay and love him forever. He is Kyungsoo’s as Kyungsoo is his; the mark on his neck tingles pleasantly.

“My beautiful mate. Mine, all mine,” Kyungsoo’s voice is deep, gentle, a purr that pulls the last bits of consciousness out from underneath him.

Baekhyun sleeps, and he dreams of moonlight.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this fic, please leave a kudos and a comment! You can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/killmeDO) and [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/killmeDO) Sometimes I talk about what I'm working on next and post snippets! I'd love to hear from you <3
> 
> Here is the prompt I was given and based this fic off of:
> 
> Hannibal meets Addams family AU with a monster/animal blood mixed in. The Kims of EXO with their adopted milk brother, Kyungsoo comes from a long line of brilliant but eccentric weirdos. A is from that family and B is their love interest. B doing gory stuff to woo A while A's family trying to hitch the two together. A slowly getting won over.


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